An Engaged to Be Merried Christmas
by Cheerpup1392
Summary: Buffy promised her mother she would bring her fiance home for Christmas, but she finds herself suddenly single during the holidays. When she meets Angel by coincidence they help each other with a fake holiday engagement. What will they do when their fake feelings start to turn very real? An all-human and overall feel-good tale. Mostly romance, some humor, some angst.
1. Chapter 1

**I really wanted to write a Christmas story and this all just started coming together. It's all human, all romance, and very Christmas movie-esque. Please leave some feedback and let me know what you think!**

PART 1

"Buffy, how could you do this? I thought you loved Riley," Willow lamented as she looked up at her friend who sighed sadly.

"I care about Riley," she answered honestly as she sank onto the couch next to her best friend. "But I wasn't in love with him."

"Then why did you agree to marry him?" she wanted to know and Buffy shrugged.

"Everybody wanted me to marry him," she replied and Willow looked over at her questioningly. "And he was good to me…" she trailed off. "I think you guys loved him more than I did," she mused.

"We didn't meant to push him on you," she assured her and Buffy nodded. "We just wanted you to be happy. You seemed happy," she whispered and a few tears leaked out of the redhead's eyes. "I'm sorry," she apologized feeling responsible for the broken engagement.

"It's not your fault, Will," Buffy assured her. "It's mine. I shouldn't have said yes in the first place," she pointed out. "I just know that I should want that normal life in Iowa," she muttered as her head fell against the back of the couch.

"But you don't," Willow finished for her and Buffy shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know what I want," she admitted feeling lost and alone. "I just know that Riley isn't the answer."

"What about your mom?" Willow asked knowing that Joyce had been the conductor of the 'get Buffy married' train. "You told her you were bringing your fiancé to Christmas," Willow reminded her and Buffy squeezed her eyes shut.

"I don't know," she whispered feeling exhausted as the day's events caught up with her.

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"She what?" Cordelia exclaimed as she walked into her brother's dark apartment. "How could she do that?"

"Cordy," Angel said tiredly wondering why he had even bothered calling her. He knew she would come over once she heard the news.

"Who does Darla think she is?" she ranted as she slammed her purse onto the kitchen table. "Breaking up with my brother the week before Christmas," she scoffed and Angel sighed as he watched her pace around his apartment. "How are you?" she finally asked as she calmed down and Angel shrugged.

"Fine," he answered and Cordelia's face softened as she took in his appearance. He hadn't showered, shaved, or even gotten dressed that morning.

"Angel, you were together for almost two years," she reminded him and he merely leaned against the doorframe in response. "She couldn't have just walked out. What happened?" she wanted to know but he stayed silent for a long time. Cordelia let him gather his thoughts having known him long enough to understand he needed time to sort through things himself before he'd share them.

"We hadn't been happy for a long time," he finally admitted and Cordy looked at him sympathetically. "She was cheating on me. I ignored it," he told her and Cordelia shook her head in disgust. She had never liked Darla and she hadn't bothered to hide that fact from her brother. "I wanted to take her out tonight," he continued, his eyes staring at the floor. "Just the two of us. I thought maybe I could try to be better for her. Maybe we could get things back on track for the holidays," he shrugged and Cordelia felt her heart break for her brother. He always put the needs of others before his own, whether he should or not.

"Angel, it's not your fault," she assured him knowing that he would blame himself for a problem that had Darla written all over it. "She used you, Angel," Cordy said gently and Angel glanced up for a minute and then nodded solemnly.

"I know," he agreed and suddenly Cordelia brightened up.

"Doyle and I are taking you out tonight," she announced and Angel rolled his eyes. "We are," she insisted and he sighed knowing there was no way to convince her otherwise. "We'll go to the Bronze. Maybe you can meet someone, you know, have a little fun of your own," she hinted and Angel contemplated his options.

He was going out tonight. Cordy had made that clear. He could go out and sit silently at the table or he could go and try and pursue someone for the night. It was never difficult for him to get any girl's attention and it might help get his mind off Darla… He shook his head knowing he would only feel guilty afterwards. The girls there were usually younger than him, still in college, and he couldn't help but feel he was taking advantage of them.

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"Are you sure this is okay?" Willow asked as she followed Buffy into the Bronze. "Oz would understand if we missed the Dingoes' gig tonight. What with the whole Riley thing and everything," she rambled but Buffy grabbed her hand and pulled her into the club.

"Willow, I NEED this," she insisted and Willow sighed as they got to a table but Buffy didn't stop there. "I'll be at the bar."

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"Come on Angel," Doyle stated as he clapped his friend on the shoulder. "There's plenty of girls out there that would love a little attention from you," he assured him but Angel shook his head and made his way to a table in the corner. "Alright," Doyle trailed off. "I'll get you a drink, how's that?" he offered walking off with Cordelia before Angel could respond.

Instead he rested his elbows on the table and scanned the crowd around him. As usual most of the girls there were in high school or college, but at least spending the night here would get Cordelia off his back. He quickly grabbed the drink Doyle placed in front of him and then Doyle disappeared onto the dance floor with Cordelia. Angel raised the glass to his lips, weighing the possibilities of the night. He could find a girl. He could get drunk. He could get drunk and find a girl. Or he could wait until Cordelia finally let him go home.

He let out a tired sigh before he quickly drained his drink. He looked around the room again and this time his eyes were drawn to a girl clearly encouraging her redheaded friend towards the backstage door. The redhead seemed reluctant to leave her friend, but she wasn't giving her much of a choice. Angel could hear them laughing before the redhead walked away and he had an unobstructed view of the friend. His breath caught in his throat as he took in her appearance.

She was gorgeous.

Just absolutely out of this world, drop dead gorgeous. Her blond hair curled softly and his fingers clenched around his glass as he unconsciously thought about running them through her hair. He couldn't see what color her eyes were from here, but fortunately for him he could see her body. She was dressed in tight jeans that hugged her every curve and he found himself reconsidering his decision to go home alone tonight.

As the blond sat back down at her table, the bright smile faded from her face and a deep sadness seemed to take over her features. She ran a hand through her hair and blew out a breath before downing her drink in one swallow.

He couldn't help but wonder why she was putting on such a show for her friend. The redhead seemed to think she was happy, but clearly this beautiful blond was anything but. How was nobody with her? He ran a hand down his face as he fought with himself over what to do. His body was practically screaming at him to go to her, talk to her…just do something with her. But he'd just gotten out of a serious relationship this morning. And clearly she had a lot going on…she looked heartbroken.

"Fuck it," he muttered under his breath pushing away from his table and walking to hers before he lost his nerve. When he was a few steps away he saw Doyle give him a thumbs up from the bar and he sighed knowing he'd never hear the end of it now. He ignored Doyle for the moment and slid into the chair across from this girl that had captured his attention. She glanced up from the table she had been staring at, clearly surprised she had company. She offered a small smile that didn't reach her eyes and Angel returned it.

"I'm sorry to bother you," he told her and she finally gave him a real smile.

"No you're not," she replied at he looked up at her in shock. "Well, you came over here for a reason. You obviously intended to bother me," she pointed out and Angel found himself smiling despite himself.

"Fair enough," he stated and she nodded slightly before the smiles faded from their faces. They fell silent and he noticed her staring at him.

"I come here a lot. I've never seen you here before," she said and he shrugged slightly.

"My sister made me come," he admitted as he gestured to where Cordelia and Doyle were dancing happily.

"Your sister is Cordelia Chase?" Buffy exclaimed with a hint of something in her voice that Angel couldn't decipher, and he looked up in surprise. How did they know each other? "We graduated high school together," she answered his silent question and she turned to look at him. "You didn't go to Sunnydale High," she stated rather than asked and he shook his head.

"Cordy's my half-sister," he told her. "We have the same father but didn't know about each other until his funeral," he explained as his mind travelled back to the day he'd met Cordelia. "Then I moved here to be closer to my family," he shrugged and Buffy nodded as she took in the information.

"She might not like you talking to me," Buffy warned but Angel merely shook his head.

"She's grown up a lot since high school," he assured her and Buffy sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said taking a deep breath. "I'm sure you're right. We all have. It's just been a long day," she admitted before her eyes widened slightly. "A REALLY long day."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Angel agreed before locking eyes with her. "You want to get out of here? Go somewhere else?" he asked and she nodded immediately, obviously not wanting to be at the Bronze another minute. She picked up her things and stood up from the table, and Angel didn't hesitate. "Do you need to tell your friend you're leaving?" he asked but she shook her head.

"Her boyfriend's in the band. She'll go home with him tonight anyways," she told him and he nodded before she led him out of the club.

"Where to?" he asked and she sighed.

"Well if your day has been anything like mine, you want to get drunk," she said and he nodded enthusiastically.

"You read my mind," he murmured as he wondered why they didn't just stay at the Bronze to get drunk. But this was better. It was too loud in there and they couldn't talk.

"Can we go to Willie's?" Buffy asked and he glanced down at her in surprise. Darla had never wanted to go there. He supposed it wasn't high class enough for her tastes. "My fiancé would never let me go there because it was 'too gross,'" she said rolling her eyes. "Please," she asked when he didn't answer.

"Yeah. Sure," he replied as soon as his surprise faded and she led the way to the bar that was a few blocks away.

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They both sat at the bar, on their second drink only seconds after arriving. The guys in the bar had been staring at her since they'd walked in and Angel felt his protective streak rise to the surface. He moved a little closer to her, making sure it was clear to everyone that they were there together. As she swirled the ice in her drink Angel sighed knowing he wasn't going to be able to get this off his mind. He was going to have to ask.

"So," Angel began and she spared a glance in his direction. "Fiancé?" he asked raising his glass to his lips yet again.

"I told you it had been a long day," she reminded him and he nodded waiting for her to elaborate. "We were always on and off," she explained, the alcohol loosening her up enough to discuss this. "Everyone pushed for us to get married, so a few months ago, when Riley proposed I said yes," she stated simply and he found himself selfishly hoping that they had ended things.

"Do you love him?" he asked, his voice strained so he quickly took another drink to hide how much her presence seemed to be affecting him.

"Sure," she shrugged and he felt like he'd been punched in the gut. What the hell was she doing here then? "Like I imagine I'd love a brother if I had one," she finished and he glanced over at her to see nothing but honesty in her eyes. "So I ended it this morning," she stated and he watched as her lips curved around the glass as she sipped. "Right before Christmas," she added guiltily.

"Well you and my girlfriend have that in common," he murmured as he signaled for more drinks for the both of them.

"Do you love her?" she repeated his question but he shook his head.

"Hell no," he answered surprising her with his vehement response. "I did once. We were together over a year and a half. Things were good for a while," he began when his fresh drink arrived and he downed over half of it quickly before continuing. The alcohol was starting to get to him and he wondered how this tiny girl next to him could hold her liquor. She'd had just as much to drink as he had.

"What happened?" she wanted to know and Angel was forced back on track.

"Everything," he answered with an eye roll. "She cheated on me all the time. God only knows with who," he muttered angrily. "I tried to be enough for her, tried to fix things, but I couldn't," he sighed and Buffy could see the sadness in his eyes. Her head was already spinning from all the drinks she'd had, but rather than stopping she grabbed the one in front of her and drank that too. "Cordelia always said Darla wasn't good for me," he said with a bitter laugh when Willie glanced over at him.

"Darla?" he asked and Angel nodded wondering why the bartender was talking to them. "Blond, beautiful, husky voice?" he asked and when Angel nodded again Willie shook his head. "Sorry man, but she came in here at least once a week. Always left with somebody different," he told him and Angel snorted before downing the drink in front of him and shoving the glass towards Willie for a refill.

"Of course she did," he murmured quietly and Buffy could see that hurt him. "That's why she refused to come here with me," he mused and he drained the new drink Willie had provided him with.

"We're both better off," Buffy stated firmly as she raised her glass in a toast. Angel grabbed the new drink that magically appeared in front of him and clinked it against hers.

"It seems we are," he agreed and they both took a drink before setting their glasses down on the bar.

"What's your name?" she asked suddenly and he stopped as he realized he'd spent over an hour with this girl and he didn't know her name. "What is it?" she asked impatiently as she tugged insistently on the sleeve of his leather jacket and he knew the alcohol was starting to affect her.

"A-Angel," he stammered as he looked into her eyes, twinkling with happiness for the first time since he'd met her.

"I'm Buffy," she offered and he reached into his wallet and grabbed a few bills. It was too much…but his muddled brain couldn't do the math so he threw it all onto the bar and wrapped his arms around her. "What are you doing?" she asked even as she stood up with him.

"I'm taking you home," he stated simply even as he stumbled slightly on his way out the door. "But I don't know where you live."

"That way," she pointed sideways to the left and he hoped that she was coherent enough to remember correctly. She could barely walk, he realized as they began the journey to her house. She would trip over her own feet and giggle at her clumsiness.

"I shouldn't have let you drink so much," he mused as he wrapped his arm tightly around her waist and held her up as they walked.

"Since when am I your responsibility?" she challenged and he sighed realizing she was right. It wasn't his fault. "Besides, this has been one of the best nights I've had in a long time," she admitted and Angel silently agreed with her. "I'll be paying for it tomorrow though," she muttered and he was amazed at how coherent her thoughts were even when she could barely walk. "Oooh, we're almost to my house," she exclaimed and in her excitement she stumbled slightly. He caught her and held her tightly; pulling her closer to him to make sure she didn't fall.

"You need to be careful," he scolded, worried she was going to hurt herself and in his own inebriated state he wouldn't be able to stop it.

She shrugged before she pulled him in the direction of a house. "That's my house," she stated as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a key. She hurried up the stairs, tripping slightly up the last one and catching herself against the door. "That wasn't too graceful," she giggled as she slid the key into the lock. "I guess stairs are not on the agenda tonight," she mused aloud as she stepped inside.

She stubbed her toe on the door and with a frown she took off her shoe, rubbing her toe. He couldn't leave her like this. She needed help. With a sigh Angel walked up the stairs and into the house behind her.

"We need to get you to bed," he told her but she shook her head defiantly. He shut her front door and locked it, not sure how long he would be there.

"When Buffy's drunk, Buffy sleeps on the couch," she pointed to the couch in the living room and Angel felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"When Buffy's drunk does Buffy always speak in the third person?" he asked but she shrugged with a smile.

"When Buffy's _this_ drunk she doesn't remember things the next morning so she doesn't know," she explained soundly as she reached for his hand distractedly. "You are a very nice man," she told him and all joking tones were lost from her voice.

"You're beautiful," he offered, his brain working too slowly to control the words coming out of his mouth. "Really beautiful," he whispered as his fingers tightened around hers. His eyes locked on hers as her free hand met his chest. He rested his other hand on her hip, telling himself it was so she wouldn't fall.

"Angel," she murmured before she stood on her tiptoes and captured his lips in hers. She kissed him softly and he felt her moan at the first contact of his mouth. He increased the pressure of his lips, finding it impossible to control himself after all the alcohol he had consumed. His tongue slid into her mouth and he felt her body melting into his. She pulled away rather abruptly and he was left feeling the loss of her lips. "Stay here tonight," she whispered kissing his jaw lightly. "You're drunk. You shouldn't walk home alone," she told him and he felt himself nodding even as she stepped away from him.

She disappeared for a moment and he ran a hand through his hair. What the hell was that? His lips still tingled from hers, but he couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on. He didn't know this girl. She clearly had a lot of baggage. But she did something to him.

"You can sleep on the floor," she offered as she dropped two blankets and two pillows onto the floor near the couch. "And just so you know, I don't understand why Darla had to cheat on you. You're a fantastic kisser," she stated confidently which shocked him into silence. How could she act so nonchalant about this? "Good night," she yawned before collapsing onto the couch and promptly falling asleep.

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"Oh God," he heard a groan and it took him a moment to remember where he was. He looked around and realized he was still on the floor at Buffy's house and she had just woken up on the couch. "Angel?" she asked and he stared up at her silently. "How did I get home last night?" she wondered and his breath caught in his throat.

"You don't remember?" he asked and she shook her head but grimaced at the pain it caused. "We walked. Then I just stayed here," he finished dumbly and she nodded before falling back against the couch.

She didn't remember. If she didn't remember how they got here she wouldn't remember kissing him either. He sighed out loud knowing that he should just forget about it. They'd both been drunk, vulnerable, and severely depressed. It didn't mean anything. But damn, it had been a good kiss. It was hazy, but he remembered that much.

Suddenly the ringing of his cell phone jerked him from his thoughts. He pulled it from his pocket, groaning aloud when he saw Darla's name on the screen. What the hell did she want?

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked and he sighed.

"It's Darla," he answered wondering whether or not he should answer it. He held the phone with his thumb hovering over the ignore button but Buffy yanked it out of his hands.

"Hello?" she answered, not bothering to hide the sleep from her voice. Angel's eyes widened as he realized what she was doing.

"Who the hell is this?" Darla demanded and Buffy couldn't hide the smile from her face, but her voice didn't betray anything.

"Who is _this_?" she countered and Angel felt his mouth curving into a smile. "You called me."

"I called my boyfriend," she retorted and Buffy raised an eyebrow as she put the phone on speakerphone so Angel could hear.

"Oh I think I grabbed the wrong phone…" Buffy played innocent and Angel scooted closer to the couch to hear the conversation better. "I guess you want Angel?"

"Yes!" Darla exclaimed and Buffy fought off a laugh at the defiance she could hear from the other woman.

"He's still sleeping. We were out late last night celebrating," Buffy told her and Darla scoffed on the other end of the phone. "I'll tell him you called," she assured her.

"Don't bother," Darla huffed before hanging up abruptly.

"That was mean," Angel chuckled as Buffy tossed him his phone.

"Ironically I learned it from Cordelia back in high school. She dated my friend Xander," she explained and Angel moved to sit on the couch next to her.

"Well Darla definitely deserved that," he stated and Buffy nodded before they both fell back asleep on the couch.

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"Buffy Summers?" Cordelia asked as soon as she walked into Angel's apartment later that day. "Harmony saw you leave last night with her. She's engaged, you know," she accused and Angel looked up from his book and sighed.

"Not anymore," he told her and Cordelia looked at him curiously. "She broke it off yesterday morning. That's why she was so upset last night," he explained and Cordelia took a deep breath before sitting in a chair across from Angel. "She doesn't like you, by the way," he offered and Cordelia shrugged.

"I don't blame her," she sighed settling into the recliner and making herself at home. "I was a real bitch to her and Willow. Especially after I dated Xander."

"Be nice to her Cordy," Angel ordered and she stared at him as a huge smile took over her face.

"You like her?" she exclaimed in excitement but he shook his head. "You do Angel! That's adorable," she squealed and Angel rolled his eyes.

"I don't know her Cordy. We just got drunk together last night, okay?" he replied but she wasn't going to drop it.

"What happened between you two?" she questioned and Angel groaned at how persistent his sister could be. "I know you didn't come home last night."

"Nothing," he insisted. "I slept at her house. On the floor," he continued at Cordelia's excited expression. He decided not to tell her how he'd woken up with Buffy's head on his shoulder after falling asleep next to her on the couch this morning.

"Well, Buffy is certainly a step up from Darla," she assured him. "So just so you know, I approve."

"Gee, thanks Cordy," he deadpanned but she ignored him.

"Me and Doyle are staying here for Christmas this year," she announced and Angel's head snapped up to meet hers.

"Why?" he asked wondering why the two of them would end their tradition of taking a ski trip for Christmas and New Year's like they had for the past three years they'd been together.

"We just think it's time for something new," she shrugged but he shook his head seeing through her lie.

"I'm fine Cordy," he promised. "Go on your trip," he ordered but Cordelia shook her head.

"We're not going to leave you here alone on Christmas," she told him but he glared at her. "You had Darla last year. And that was when you two were still happy," she reminded him. "And before that you still had Kathy…" she trailed off and stopped as soon as she saw the sadness take over Angel's face. "Look Angel, we're staying. That's it."

"I don't want you to stay here because of me," he told her feeling guilty for ruining his sister and best friend's Christmas.

"We love you Angel. Think of it as a family Christmas," she offered cheerfully but he sighed trying to think of a way to get her to still go on the vacation she deserved. Besides, Doyle had told him he had something special planned for her this year on their ski trip. He couldn't let them miss it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter. Here's the next one. Let me know what you think.**

PART 2

"Buffy, I'm just so thrilled to meet this young man who's going to be my new son-in-law!" Joyce gushed over the phone and Buffy immediately lost all of her nerve to tell her that she wasn't bringing anyone with her this year. "What's his name?" she asked excitedly and Buffy stuttered.

"Um, well, I-I want to surprise you mom. I don't want to tell you anything about him," she covered buying herself some more time before she had to break the news to her mom.

"Oh that is so sweet," she agreed and Buffy rolled her eyes knowing that her mother would think anything was sweet if it led to Buffy getting married. "I'm so relieved you've found someone, Honey," she sighed and Buffy felt guilty for lying to her mother. She only wanted to make sure her daughter was happy and taken care of.

"Buffy!" she heard accompanied by a knock on the front door and she knew Willow had forgotten her key again.

"Mom, Willow just got back. I have to go," she said and walked towards the door opening it quickly to a sheepish Willow.

"Bye Buffy. I love you and I can't wait to see you and this man of yours!" she gushed before hanging up. Buffy set the phone down with a sigh and turned to Willow.

"My mom is going to be crushed when I don't bring a fiancé," she admitted and Willow gave her a sympathetic look. "What am I going to do? This is our first Christmas without Dad. I don't want to make it even worse for her," she whispered and Willow wrapped her friend in a hug.

"Oh Buffy, you're sure you don't want to marry Riley?" she checked and Buffy nodded as they pulled away. "Well, I suppose we could always get you a fiancé in the next three days," she chuckled and Buffy smiled before becoming serious again.

"Actually Will, that's not your worst idea," she told her and Willow shrugged uncomfortably.

"No. My worst idea was grapes on pizza. But I don't think that makes this a good idea," she rushed to say but Buffy shook her head.

"Well, it's the only idea right now," she pointed out and Willow shrugged. "Look, we'll go out tonight. The Dingoes play the Bronze again, right?" she asked and Willow nodded. "I'm sure I can find a cute college guy willing to pose as my fiancé for a couple days."

"Oz might have a friend…" Willow trailed off but Buffy shook her head.

"I don't want it to be anyone I might ever see again," Buffy insisted and Willow silently agreed.

"So tonight we find you a fiancé," Willow announced and Buffy nodded.

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"I can't believe you're coming out with us two nights in a row!" Cordelia exclaimed as she followed Angel and Doyle into the Bronze. "This is so different for you. See, I told you that Darla was no good for you."

"Cordy," Angel warned and she held her hands up in a silent surrender.

"I know," she sighed as they sat at a table near the bar. "I'm just happy you're out with us again," she finished with a smile which he returned. He didn't want to be here, but he had hoped that if he was able to convince Cordelia that he was okay she would still go on her ski vacation with Doyle.

"Let's dance, Princess," Doyle offered and with a grin she accepted the hand he held out to her and they made their way towards the dance floor. Angel let out a tired sigh as he sat at the table. He'd had one hell of a day. He'd been trying to forget about Buffy, but Cordelia was making it very difficult. She was in his head. He was practically convinced he could see the blond on the dance floor dancing with some college guy…wait, that _was_ her.

Before he could rethink his actions, Angel was out of his seat and making his way towards the two of them. He placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder and reveled in the feeling of her skin around the strap of her tank top.

"Mind if I cut in?" he asked sparing only a second to glare at the man who had been dancing with Buffy.

"Angel," she breathed out and he didn't wait for a response before he pulled her into his arms and held her close. He didn't dance much…he didn't dance ever, actually. But he wasn't going to let her dance here with some creep while he was just sitting there waiting for his sister to be done having fun. "What are you doing here?" she asked and he shrugged.

"I'm here with Cordy and her boyfriend," he answered, relieved when the song changed to a slow one. That he could dance to. He pulled her close, relieved when she didn't pull away. "I'm surprised you're out again. I figured you'd still be pretty hung over," he teased and she gave him a sheepish smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Well, Willow and I are on a mission tonight," she stated proudly. "Although, she seems to have abandoned me for greener pastures…or Ozzier pastures," she admitted as she saw her friend seeking out her boyfriend on the side of the stage.

"What's the mission?" Angel asked intrigued by what could have brought her here again.

"I have to find a fiancé," Buffy announced with a playful smile and his eyes widened in surprise as she shrugged. "Well, a fake fiancé," she admitted and he gave her a confused look as she let out a tired sigh and shook her head. "It's stupid," she told him. "But my mom had never met Riley and I was supposed to bring him to Christmas when I visited her," she explained and he saw a sadness take over her face. "She'll be devastated if I show up alone."

"Why?" he asked curiously and she shook her head.

"She wants me to be happy," Buffy told him truthfully but he remained confused.

"But you didn't want to marry this guy. So why would she be so upset? As long as you're happy, right?" he questioned but her sigh told him he was way off base.

"She worries that I'll always be alone. This is our first Christmas since my dad died," she admitted softly and his heart clenched at the pain he could hear in her voice. "She worries that if I don't have someone…I don't know, but she worries and I know this Christmas will be hard for her. I don't want to make it worse," she breathed out and Angel understood her feelings.

"I'm sorry about your dad," he said honestly and she gave him a small smile. "It's hard to lose family," he continued and she nodded in agreement. Their eyes met and they both remained quiet until he felt a need to break the silence. "So any luck in the fake fiancé department?"

"No," she huffed glancing around the dance floor one more time. "I didn't think it would be this hard. I have been propositioned for a lot of things tonight, but a fake holiday engagement was not one of them," she told him and he chuckled to hide the jealousy he felt building inside him. Who the hell was propositioning her? "I mean, isn't there some desperate college guy who doesn't have any family for Christmas or something? Or the family is going on vacation?" she rambled and that was when it hit him.

He couldn't, could he? No. It was ridiculous. He couldn't go and pretend to be her fiancé. He would find another way to make sure Doyle and Cordy went on their trip. He couldn't just ask to be her fake fiancé, right? That seemed inappropriate. He'd only known her for 24 hours.

"That guy I was dancing with when you came over? Parker?" she spoke up and he was jerked from his thoughts. "I think he was about to say that for every time I'd sleep with him he would spend another hour with me and my mom," she snorted and Angel's hands tightened subconsciously on her waist. That son of a bitch… "And so far he's my best option," she admitted.

"I'll do it," he offered suddenly surprising even himself. Well, there he said it. There was no going back now.

"What?" she asked shocked and clearly thinking she had misunderstood.

"I'll be your fake fiancé," he explained and her eyes widened as her jaw dropped. "Cordy's going to skip her vacation to stay here with me on Christmas, but her boyfriend's planning on proposing," he revealed quickly finding himself in too vulnerable a position having offered to fill the spot of fake fiancé.

"Cordelia's getting married?" she asked, obviously sidetracked and Angel rolled his eyes.

"Well, I know she'll say yes," he confirmed and Buffy nodded. "So what do you say?" he wondered, quickly pulling the conversation back to them. "Am I your fake fiancé?"

"I don't see why not," she agreed and the side of Angel's mouth turned up in a half smile. "I break off one engagement yesterday and get engaged again tonight. I work fast," she stated playfully and Angel noticed Cordelia smiling at him from across the room.

"We're going to have to convince Cordy this is real or I don't think she'll leave," he warned and Buffy nodded.

"Okay, well it'll be a good test run for my mom," she agreed as she took one of his hands and led him off the dance floor. "Willow and her boyfriend Oz, and probably Xander are the only people that don't need to think this is real," Buffy told him and he shrugged in agreement. "Is there anyone you want to know the truth?" she asked but he shook his head. Cordy needed to think he was with Buffy, and there was no reason to put Doyle in a position to have to lie to her. Besides the two of them...that was pretty much it for Angel. "We should probably, you know, talk," she pointed out and he agreed knowing that if they were going to pull this off, especially if Cordelia was going to think they were together, they were going to have to be convincing.

"We can go to my apartment. It's close," he offered and when she nodded he led her outside and they began walking silently towards Angel's apartment.

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"So…what should we talk about?" Buffy asked as she tucked her feet underneath her on the couch next to Angel. "What do you think we need to know about each other so we can pull this off?"

"Last names would be good," he suggested and she blushed slightly at having not thought of something so basic.

"Summers," she said quietly and he ran the name through his head. Buffy Summers. It fit her.

"O'Connor," he replied and she nodded. "How long were you and Riley together? Do I have to pretend to be him?" he asked, wondering how he was going to pull that off.

"No," she assured him. "I told my mom I wanted to keep everything about him a surprise so I didn't even tell her his name," she explained and he nodded in relief. "We were together about four months officially."

"Four months?" he asked, surprised that they had gotten engaged after such a short amount of time.

"I never said it was a smart decision," she pointed out, seemingly reading his mind and he smiled at her response. "How did we meet?"

"Let's keep that simple. Say we saw each other at the Bronze," he suggested and she nodded, pleased that they could use the truth for some things.

"And that you just couldn't resist coming and talking to me?" she teased and he chuckled not bothering to tell her how accurate that really was. "We don't have to get everything figured out right now," she reminded him as she rested back against the couch. "But my mom is a romantic and she'll grill us for details. I'll do my best to control her, but she's a little insane," she told him and he laughed as he glanced over to see Buffy resting tiredly against his couch.

"Do you want me to take you home?" he asked and she shook her head. "Wanna watch a movie or something?" he offered finding himself not wanting her to go just yet.

"Sure. Anything," she agreed and he walked over to his movie collection to find something they would both enjoy.

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"Willow was nice enough to pick this up for us," Buffy announced the next afternoon when Angel came to her house after lunch. She held up a book and he raised his eyebrow as he read the title out loud.

"100 Questions to Get to Know Your Partner?" he asked and she shrugged and handed it to him.

"It can't hurt, right?" she pointed out and he nodded as he sat in the chair in the living room. "Pick a question. I don't know how else to do this," she admitted. Carefully he flipped through the book wondering how he had ended up here. In two days he was going to be in LA with Buffy and her mother trying to convince everyone they were in love and engaged to be married. Maybe this book could help. He finally came to a question that he thought was appropriate and glanced up at her as he asked it.

"What is the one thing you'd like to change about yourself?" he wondered and Buffy considered it for a moment before she answered it.

"I wish I wasn't so hard to satisfy," she told him and his mind immediately went straight to the one place it shouldn't. He knew, he just _knew_ he could kiss her and touch her until she was so satisfied she- "I want that epic romance, you know?" Right. That's what she meant. "Fireworks, passion, the fairytale. I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist, but I'm also pretty sure I won't be happy until I find it," she admitted and his dark eyes met hers.

"It exists," he assured her and with their eyes locked, they both remained silent for a moment. Finally breaking the contact, Angel handed her the book. "Your turn," he said and she opened it and flipped the pages, looking for her own question. She found one, and she hesitated, but couldn't stop herself from asking it.

"How long do you think a person should spend alone between relationships?" she wanted to know and he shook his head.

"That depends," he answered honestly. "It depends on how long the relationship was and how emotionally invested you were. With me and Darla, we weren't emotionally invested for the past six months," he told her with a sigh. "If I wanted to I could get into a relationship now because I haven't been in a real emotional relationship for a while."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Buffy agreed handing the book back to him without another word. This time he opened the book, vowing to ask whatever question was on the page when he opened it. When he read it he took a deep breath telling himself not to listen too carefully to her answer and not to catalog every detail for later.

"Describe your dream date," he said and she smiled widely.

"That's an easy one," she admitted. "Every girl has their dream date," she told him and he smiled at her excitement. "We would start with breakfast in bed, probably spend a while in the bed," she blushed and Angel found his mind wandering to what it would be like to wake up next to her. "Then we'd go out and spend the entire day doing something. Anything. Lunch, movies, shopping, a carnival. It wouldn't matter," she explained but the smile faded off her face. "I've never had that," she revealed with a deep sigh before sitting up slightly and staring at him. "You. Same question."

"Um…" he started, not expecting to have to answer this question. "We'd stay in all day," he began quietly and Buffy was transfixed by him as he stared at the book in front of him. "Wouldn't even need to get dressed," he continued as he picked at the spine of the book. "I'd cook for her, surprise her with her favorite meal," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We might read, I could draw her…like you said it wouldn't matter," he explained and he saw the shocked look on Buffy's face and felt himself flush in embarrassment. "I know it sounds boring…" he trailed off as he shook his head.

"It sounds wonderful," she disagreed in a soft voice and he let out a sharp breath at her words. His old girlfriends, Darla, Nina, and Drusilla before her, had always found his idea of a day spent inside so boring they thought something was wrong with him. "Much better than mine," she smiled but he shook his head.

"I think yours sounds amazing too," he assured her as his mind pictured the two of them spending a day together like she had described and then following it up with the one he had described. God, that just seemed…perfect to him. He glanced at the book in his hands and he seriously doubted whether or not he could ask her another question so instead he changed the subject. "So, I told Cordelia that I'm going with you to LA for Christmas," he informed her and Buffy looked at him curiously.

"And?" she prodded and Angel sighed wondering how she was going to react to the next thing he had to say.

"I'm not sure she believes me," he admitted. "So she asked us to go on a double date with her and Doyle tonight," he told her and she looked at him knowingly.

"And by asked you mean demanded?" she said and he looked at her sheepishly. "That's probably a good idea," she replied and he let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "We should get used to acting like a couple and this is a good way to start. Where are we going?"

"Dinner. Cordy won't tell me where, but knowing her it's probably fancy," he told her and Buffy nodded. "I'm supposed to pick you up at seven," he said and Buffy smiled.

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"I'm telling you Buffy, the green dress!" Willow exclaimed for the fifth time as Buffy stood at her closet in her underwear.

"Don't you think the blue one?" she asked as she chewed nervously on her bottom lip.

"You hate that dress," Willow reminded her. "And you did your makeup to go with the green one so you have to wear green. You could get away with black I guess. Or you have to redo all your makeup and you don't have time," she rambled and Buffy sighed knowing she was right.

"Fine, but if I'm overdressed I'm blaming you," Buffy insisted and Willow looked at her pointedly.

"If Cordelia Chase planned this, it will be impossible to be overdressed. Put it on," she ordered and finally Buffy did as she was asked. It was already a few minutes after seven, and when they heard the doorbell ring Buffy gave Willow a panicked look. "Calm down Buffy. I'll just tell him you're not ready yet," she assured her as she left Buffy to finish getting dressed and she walked to the front door.

She opened it and her eyes widened when she saw the man on the other side. Buffy had said he was attractive…actually she had described him as gorgeous, and she was right. He was tall, muscular, great hair, great eyes…

"Hi," he said jolting Willow from her thoughts and she smiled at him shyly. "You must be Willow?" he asked and she nodded.

"And I assume you're Angel?" she replied and he nodded as she stepped aside to let him in. "Buffy will be right down. She couldn't decide what dress to wear," she told him and her eyes widened in terror. "Oh my God, DON'T tell her I told you that!" she exclaimed.

"I won't. Don't worry," he assured her with a chuckle.

"Good," she sighed with relief. "So you're the fake fiancé, huh?" she asked and he nodded slightly. "Even though it's fake you better be nice to her," she warned and he could tell that despite the awkwardness in her threat she meant every word. "If you hurt her you have to deal with me," she informed him. "A-and I might not be very big," she acknowledged. "But I-I'm good with computers. I could make your life really difficult," she told him and he nodded, appreciating that she was sticking up for her friend. "But I don't want to do that," she rushed to say and he smiled slightly. "So don't hurt her," she added but his attention shifted as he saw Buffy walking down the stairs.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Willow," he said, slightly breathless as he took in the sight of the blond he was quickly becoming too attached to. Her hair was curled in that way he loved-the way it was the first night he'd seen her. And her dress…she should never take that thing off. Well, unless he took it off of her…

"Hi Angel," she greeted him and he cleared his throat and nervously ran a hand through his hair. He should have brought her flowers. What the hell was he thinking showing up here empty handed?

"You look beautiful, Buffy," he told her noticing the blush that consumed her cheeks at his words. "I mean it," he said as he forced himself to stop staring. She wasn't his. He had to remind himself of that.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she responded and he briefly wondered if such simple words from her could affect him like this, how was he going to get through pretending to be her fiancé?

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Cordelia had chosen an upscale French restaurant, and Buffy was finally satisfied that she was not overdressed. She was sitting next to Angel in the booth and she felt her body tense every time his thigh accidentally brushed hers. His hand would occasionally rest on her back, so casually that she found herself envying his acting abilities.

"Remember Principal Snyder, Buffy?" Cordelia asked as she buttered a piece of bread. "He was horrible!"

"He was," Buffy agreed with a laugh. "He sent me to detention more than I had to go to class," she joked and Cordelia nodded her agreement.

"Good thing Giles was a cool librarian and let us talk in detention," she said, but Buffy found it difficult to respond as Angel's fingers skimmed along the skin of her back above her dress. How the hell did he make her skin tingle like that?

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Angel sat back and listened as his sister chatted with Buffy, relieved that they were getting along. He knew he had to appear to be serious about his relationship with Buffy despite the fact that Cordelia and Doyle knew they had just met. So instead of acting, he did everything he wanted to do.

He sat close to her in the booth, he let his leg brush against hers, and more often than not, one of his hands was touching her somehow. Either on her back, her shoulder or her hand…just somewhere. He had always been rather tactile with his girlfriends, so he had to touch Buffy to make it convincing. Okay, so he didn't need to run his fingers along the skin of her back. That was probably unnecessary, he admitted to himself. But her skin was just so damn soft…

She had been tensing up every time he touched her. He felt it, but he kept pushing knowing they didn't have a choice. He wanted her to be comfortable, but he wanted to convince Cordelia too. He still didn't remove his hand, and he gradually felt her relaxing against it. Finally, he felt her start to lean into him, just a little. But it was enough. They could work with that, he thought as he smiled inwardly.

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"So what do you think?" Cordelia asked Doyle the second they were in the car after dinner. At his clueless glance in her direction she rolled her eyes and clarified. "About Buffy and Angel."

"I don't know," he shrugged and Cordelia sighed wishing she had one of her girlfriends to discuss this with. Doyle was so not good with gossip. "He seemed happy," Doyle offered having noted that his friend didn't have that haunted behind his eyes that had been there for the past months.

"He did," Cordy agreed with a smile. "Still, it seems fast though, doesn't it?" she wondered and Doyle nodded.

"Maybe they both need a rebound," Doyle shrugged and Cordelia shook her head.

"Did you see how weird he was when they were leaving, though?" she pressed and Doyle spared a quick look in her direction before refocusing his eyes on the road. "With the weirdness about touching her and holding the door and everything?" she asked and Doyle sighed. He had noticed actually, but he hadn't questioned it.

"You know Angel. He's kind of an awkward guy. Especially around new people," he pointed out and Cordelia considered his words. "He was probably just nervous," he assured her, hoping more than anything that his plans wouldn't be ruined. They HAD to go on this ski trip. He'd been planning this for months…

"Angel's too attractive to be that awkward," she muttered with a soft laugh.

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think. I'm on a time crunch (obviously with Christmas/New Year's right around the corner) to finish this, and I'm going to need your input! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next update. Thanks to those readers who are reviewing!**

PART 3

"Do you think Cordelia bought it?" Buffy asked when they walked into her living room. Willow had already left to see Oz, so it was just the two of them in the house.

"If Cordy hadn't believed us she would have called us on it right there," Angel assured her and Buffy smiled knowing he was right.

"You know, you were right. She has grown up a lot since high school," she told him and they both sat on the couch, not leaving much space between the two of them.

"She has," he nodded as his mind inevitably wandered through all the things that they had gone through together. "She's a good person to have on your side," he noted and Buffy smiled at his comment.

"Well I certainly wouldn't want Cordelia Chase on my bad side, that's for sure," she stated playfully as she slipped her shoes off and let them fall to the floor. "So when my mom asks about our first date is this the story we're going to tell her?" Buffy asked figuring that they could stick with the truth again, but he surprised her when he shook his head.

"No," he replied almost immediately. "Buffy if I took you on a real first date, it would not be a double dinner date with Cordy and Doyle," he explained, his voice slightly lower than normal but he couldn't help it.

"Well…what would you normally do for a first date?" she asked curiously and he took a breath, inhaling her perfume as he did so.

"It would depend on the girl," he told her. "For you…" he trailed off hoping his answer wouldn't be too telling of what he'd been feeling all night. "I'd take you to dinner, just the two of us," he clarified and she smiled. "Keep it traditional because you can't go wrong with traditional," he stated and she unconsciously settled in closer to him on the couch. "And when we were done with dinner, since it would have gone incredibly well," he smirked as he looked down at her. "I would have taken you for a walk around the town. Probably ending up at the playground," he revealed and when he noticed the blush on her cheeks he got the distinct feeling that she would be open to that date. "I'd push you on the swings as you told me something about you that nobody else knows," he continued hoping that he wasn't going too far. When the hell did he become so romantic? Darla would have laughed in his face if he said this to her. On the other hand, these thoughts never would have crossed his mind when he was with her.

"You're right," she told him. "That is a much better first date to tell my mom," she agreed and he smiled at her knowing he had impressed her. "Now, what about…" she hesitated and he wondered what she was going to ask. "Our first kiss?" she finally asked and he swallowed thickly as his mind immediately went back to the feel of her lips against his. They were standing right here in her living room when it had happened, yet she had no recollection of it.

"Would you have kissed me after that first date?" he asked in a strained voice.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation and their eyes locked.

"When?" he wondered as his eyes darted briefly to her lips before he forced them back to her eyes.

"After the swings," she whispered and he nodded slightly in understanding.

They were sitting so close. It wouldn't take much for him to just lean down and kiss her, taste her, know her like he had so desperately been wanting to these past few days. He tried to tell himself it was just a rebound or just a physical reaction, but he knew better. There was just something about this girl, he sighed to himself.

"So," he said quickly changing the subject as he found it increasingly harder not to kiss her. "What else do I need to know about you?" he asked and she too blinked quickly and ran a hand through her hair.

"Um…" she trailed off finding it difficult to concentrate. She made a note to herself not to look into his eyes anymore. They were way too intense. "Well, you know all the normal stuff," she said as she thought of something else her mother might mention. It wasn't exactly something she wanted talk about, especially with him, but it might come up and her mother definitely would not believe that her fiancé wouldn't know about this. "But there's something else that might come up," she said slowly and he knew by the tone of her voice that she was uncomfortable discussing this.

"You don't have to tell me," he assured her but she sighed.

"You don't know my mom," she countered and he fought the urge to brush some hair off her face. "It's about the guy I dated right before Riley. Looking back I might have started dating Riley to get away from him," she admitted.

"Who was it, Buffy?" Angel asked gently when he sensed that she needed encouragement.

"Spike," she answered and he raised an eyebrow at the name. "His name was William, but he thought it was cool," she sighed and sat up a little and when he saw her grow tense when she thought about it he wondered what the hell this Spike had ever done to her.

"What did he do?" he asked through slightly clenched teeth and he forced himself not to sound too angry as she shook her head.

"He never hurt me," she told him and he relaxed only slightly. "But he thought he loved me and he got…possessive and weird," she revealed and Angel felt himself slide slightly closer to her, relieved when she didn't back away. "And he didn't stalk me, but he wouldn't leave me alone and I had to threaten to go to the cops. Eventually he backed off, especially after I made it clear that things with Riley were serious, but it was this whole big thing," she told him and Angel shook his head.

"What did Riley do?" Angel wanted to know and she rolled her eyes.

"Nothing," she sighed and Angel felt even more hatred towards this guy he'd never met. "Riley wasn't exactly the protective type," she explained and she felt Angel tense next to her.

"You promise me that if you see this Spike around you'll call me?" he asked, his voice low knowing that it might not take much to anger him into doing more than 'being weird.'

"I doubt he'll be bothering me before Christmas, so you don't have to worry," she assured him with a smile but he shook his head, his eyes hard when they met hers again.

"Even if it's after this is all over, Buffy," he amended and he watched as the smile on her face was replaced by something much more serious. "I know this is only until Christmas, or New Year's, or whatever," he told her even as he wondered how he was going to just sever all contact with her after that. "But if you need me, if you need a friend," he told her softly as she looked at him with a vulnerability that tugged at his heart. "I'll be there," he promised and she nodded slightly and he swallowed thickly as he noticed the tears collecting in her eyes. "Don't cry," he smiled softly and she returned his smile as she shook her head.

"You're very sweet, Angel," she whispered and to his surprise she leaned over and gently wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist, holding her against his body as his hands ran soothingly up and down her back. He buried his face in her hair, unable to resist the soft golden locks when they were so close to him. He breathed in her scent as she allowed him to hold her. "Thank you," she murmured and he felt her hot breath against the skin of his neck.

"Of course," he responded as she pulled back and removed her arms. He reluctantly let her go, immediately missing the feeling of having her in his arms. She was so small he didn't understand how she could fit so perfectly against him, but she did.

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"What are you getting Buffy for Christmas?" Cordy asked and Angel sighed having been asking himself that same question for a couple days. He'd had a few ideas, but they all seemed too personal after only knowing her for four days. But it needed to look personal in front of her mom…

"I don't know," he admitted with a sigh knowing he had never been very good picking out presents.

"Well, what would you have gotten Darla?" she wondered and she was surprised by the angry glare he shot her way.

"Buffy isn't Darla," he retorted and Cordelia hid a smile. "Besides, Darla always insisted she pick out her own presents," he reminded her not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"Right," Cordy said having gotten the answer she wanted when she'd come over. He was serious about Buffy. He didn't want to be, she could see that, but he was. "Well, I have to go. Harmony is having some relationship issues and needs advice," she said her eyes sparkling at the idea. "When do you and Buffy leave again?"

"Tomorrow night," he told her and she nodded.

"Okay, well if I don't see you before you go, Merry Christmas," she said stepping forward to hug him. "I love you and have a good trip."

"Thanks Cordy," he said sincerely as she stepped back and headed for the door. "Don't give Doyle too much trouble this year," he teased and with a smile she waved before walking out the door of his apartment.

As soon as she left, he let out a sigh knowing he had only a day to get a present for her and Doyle and he had no idea what to get. He'd never had to pick out any gifts before. Cordy always helped him and for her gifts he usually had a girlfriend or someone to ask. And if Darla had one redeeming quality, it was that she had good taste. Expensive, but good.

His first instinct was to get a female's opinion. But there was only one girl he could call…screw it. He was calling her. He needed help, he wanted to see her, and they didn't have any plans together until dinner. He grabbed his phone, and before he could rethink it he dialed Buffy's number.

"Hi," she answered and a small smile took over his face as he heard her voice.

"Hi Buffy," he replied and he wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not, but he thought he could hear the smile in her voice as well.

"Are you calling to cancel on me?" she asked and he laughed at the mere thought. Hardly.

"No, um, I was wondering if you could help me," he admitted sheepishly. "I need to go Christmas shopping for Cordy and Doyle," he told her, cursing himself when he realized his heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Well, you're in luck. I was just about to leave for the mall to shop for some things myself," she told him and he grinned as he grabbed his jacket and keys off the counter.

"I'll pick you up in ten minutes."

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"So who do you need to shop for?" Angel asked as they walked into the mall.

"Well, I have something for Xander and his girlfriend and Willow said she'd take care of Oz for me, but I'm still blank on what to get for Willow and my mom," she told him. "I'm not good at gifts," she admitted and he smiled at the pout on her face. "My mom told me that my bringing a fiancé home was enough of a present for her, but considering it's fake now I feel bad," she said and he nodded in understanding, yet hated the reminder that this thing between them was practically a business deal. "What about you? Anybody besides Cordy and Doyle?" she asked. "Your mom, maybe?" she wondered and he noticed she didn't mention his dad, clearly remembering he had told her that he died.

"Um, no," he answered awkwardly not wanting to explain why he didn't buy his mother a Christmas gift. "It's…that's not necessary," he told her and she nodded clearly understanding that he didn't want to talk about it.

"Okay…so my mom, Willow, Cordy, and Doyle," she summed up as she led him through the crowds of people and into a store he didn't recognize. "Willow said she wanted slippers," she muttered as she grabbed a pair off a nearby display. "She would love these," Buffy laughed as she looked at the blue fuzzy cat heads on the slippers. She waved them playfully at Angel's nose and he swatted them away feeling a smile cross his face. "I'm getting them. And the matching robe," she announced as she quickly found Willow's size and carried them to a cash register. "These are just so cute!" she exclaimed excitedly as she looked at them again in line. "I love them," she grinned and Angel glanced back to the slipper display and got an idea. Those pink puppy slippers would look adorable on Buffy…he was going to have to come back here alone.

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"Where to?" Angel asked as he carried the shopping bag with Willow's presents. He had immediately taken it from Buffy after she'd paid for it knowing that if he didn't keep his hands busy he was going to have a hard time not touching her.

"Just up here," she assured him when she heard her name being called. She glanced around and quickly saw Anya inside a nearby store beckoning her to come in. "Oh, that's Xander's girlfriend," she explained but when Angel saw what store she was in he shook his head in her direction. "We have to go say hi."

"You can go," he assured her as he stood against the wall.

"Angel, Anya is not good with secrets. She has to think you're my boyfriend," she told him but Angel just swallowed.

"I'm not going in _there_," he hissed as he gestured towards Victoria's Secret. He could not go in there with Buffy. He just…no. He just could not do that. He wasn't supposed to think of her like that and he already did that enough without the help of Victoria's Secret.

"A real boyfriend would come in there with me," she pointed out and his teeth clenched as he struggled to explain this without giving her the real reason. I think about you naked far too often already? Maybe something else would be better.

"Yes, but I'm not your real boyfriend," he reminded her, his voice strained.

"Buffy!" Anya called again and this time Buffy just rolled her eyes. She grabbed Angel's hand and pulled him into the store behind her.

"Hi Anya," Buffy replied and Angel stood awkwardly behind her as Anya stared at him curiously. "This is Angel. My boyfriend," she gave as an introduction and Anya smiled.

"He is much better looking than Riley. And he looks like he gives good orgasms," Anya replied and both Angel and Buffy blushed furiously at her comment. "I'm glad you're here," Anya said oblivious to their discomfort. "I need your opinion. I can't decide what I should get for Xander," she explained as she gestured to the choices she'd laid out behind her. "I have this one. The red satin slip with black lace," she described as she held it up and Buffy suddenly felt very uncomfortable with Angel there. "This ruffly white baby doll," she offered and Angel glanced away, forcing himself not to imagine Buffy in each option Anya held up. "Or this glittery black slip, which I love, but the glitter can be painful sometimes," she pointed out and Buffy nodded automatically. "Buffy, what do you think?"

"Um, Anya, they're all nice," she assured her and Anya sighed.

"I know that," she retorted in annoyance. "Angel. You're a man. What would turn you on?" she asked and his eyes widened as he realized he was actually going to have to answer the question. "Well?" she demanded and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Um…I guess…the red one," he mumbled purposely avoiding all eye contact with Buffy.

"Is that because you like when Buffy wears this one of hers?" Anya questioned holding up the red slip and Angel's jaw dropped slightly.

"Buffy owns _that_?" he whispered loud enough for Anya to hear and she nodded.

"Yes," she replied. "I'm surprised she hasn't worn it for you. Although she did buy it for Riley so maybe he ripped it or-"

"Okay!" Buffy cut her off as she grabbed Angel's arm and led him out of the store. "You got your answer Anya. Merry Christmas," she said rushing back into the mall. "I should have mentioned Anya's lack of tact," she told Angel and he swallowed thickly as he tried to force himself to not think of Buffy in any of that lingerie. Or her wearing it for Riley. "I still need a present for you," Buffy said snapping him from his thoughts. He looked at her, but didn't reply, still too preoccupied. "Let's split up and meet at the elevators in an hour?" she suggested feeling the need to put some distance between them and he nodded slightly in agreement. She began to walk away but at the last second he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Did he?" he asked and she looked at him in confusion as his hand tightened on her arm. "Did he rip it off of you?" he asked, his voice low despite the fact that he knew he had no right to be asking her. It was none of his business, but it was driving him insane not knowing. Just the thought of her and-

"No," she answered in surprise and Angel's grip on her arm loosened. "I never wore it for him," she admitted and he let go. Their eyes were locked intensely, but before he could respond she walked away leaving him alone and annoyed in front of Victoria's Secret.

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As Buffy walked by the display of Christmas decorations she was drawn to the picture frame on the shelf. It was adorned with holly and the words "A Very Engaged to Be Merried Christmas." It was clearly meant to be given to a newly engaged couple and she contemplated for a moment. Was it inappropriate to buy Cordy and Doyle a gift without Angel? She shrugged and pulled a box off the shelf. She could always return it. But she still needed something for Angel. She had considered asking Cordelia, but she'd felt extremely uncomfortable with the mere thought of having that conversation. It just seemed wrong to involve her in their scheme, so she was going to have to do this herself.

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Angel held the shopping bag with the pink fuzzy slippers but it was hard to reconcile the image of Buffy in those and lingerie in his head at the moment. He needed to get her something else because the slippers weren't enough, but he was stuck. So he gave up all attempts at creativity and headed for the nearest jewelry store.

As he browsed he denied all offers from employees to help him. What could he say? Yes, hi. I need something for my fake fiancée. Any suggestions? He went immediately to the necklaces…he'd found himself staring at her neck a number times. It only took a few minutes before he spotted something.

"I'd like to see this," he said purposely ignoring the price because he knew it was too much to spend on someone he'd known for four days. But it was perfect for her.

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She had the sketch pad and all the supplies the person at the store told her were good in the shopping bag and she put it inside a shopping bag from another store so he wouldn't see where she'd been shopping. She wasn't sure it was enough for Angel, but it was a solid start. It had been almost an hour so she decided to head to the elevators to meet Angel. As she rounded the corner she realized he was already there, but when he spotted her his eyes widened in horror.

"Shit, Buffy, you're early!" he accused as he turned his back to her and frantically shoved bags into other bags. Her gifts were wrapped, but the bags, especially the one from the jewelry store were very obvious.

"I'm sorry," she laughed as he turned back around satisfied that her gifts were hidden. "I promise I didn't see anything."

"Warn a guy next time," he insisted shaking his head and Buffy reached into her bag and pulled out the box with the picture frame in it.

"Sorry. Anyways, I found this and I thought it might work for Cordy and Doyle," she said opening the box and pulling out the frame enough for him to see it. "If you don't like it I can take it back. It's no problem. I just thought…I don't know," she rambled suddenly feeling self-conscious buying a gift for someone she barely knew.

"It's perfect," he assured her as he noticed her nervousness. "Cordy will love this," he told her as he helped her slide it back into the box. "Thank you. I had no idea what to get for them," he admitted offering her a grateful smile.

"Well I'm glad I could help," she replied. "And I assume by your panicking earlier you got something for me?" she questioned and he glared at her playfully.

"Yes," he told her. "You almost ruined it though," he pointed out and she giggled.

"You'll be happy to hear I got your present too," she announced and Angel smiled noting that she'd found a present for him in less than an hour. All his previous girlfriends had told him he was too hard to buy for and gave him gift certificates or just showed up in sexy lingerie. He didn't know what Buffy had gotten him, but he was already convinced he was going to love it. "Now we just need something for my mom," she reminded him and he nodded. They began walking and he instinctively reached down to carry her shopping bags. "Hey!" she yelled swatting his hand away. "No carrying your own presents," she reprimanded and he held up his hand in surrender.

"Sorry," he laughed as she switched hands and carried it in the hand farther from him. "I didn't mean anything by it," he assured her and she glared at him playfully.

"Sure you didn't," she retorted with a smile and he marveled at the fact that he wasn't bored out of his mind. He hated shopping. He never did it by himself, and when other girlfriends had brought him he was dragged into every store they wanted to go into. When Cordy brought him she was like a drill sergeant finding the best deals and going into more stores than Angel even knew existed. But now with Buffy it was laid back and easy and he found himself wishing for the thousandth time that this thing between them was real.

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"Oh God, I'm starving!" Buffy exclaimed as she set the shopping bags down in the front hall. "Do you want to order dinner?" she offered and he shrugged.

"We could make something," he suggested and she looked at him in surprise.

"Can you cook?" she wondered and he shrugged again.

"I do okay," he responded.

"Well okay is better than me," she admitted. "If you think you can make something, that would be great," she told him gesturing towards the kitchen. "Can you wrap Cordelia's present?" she asked and he hesitated slightly. He usually had the store wrap the gifts. That was what he'd done with Buffy's, but he could wrap. He just didn't like to.

"Yeah I can wrap it," he answered but she cocked her head to the side and considered him for a moment.

"By wrap it do you mean throw it in a gift bag and write on the tissue paper who it's for?" she asked and by Angel's silence she knew she'd hit the nail on the head. "I'll wrap. You do dinner," she assured him and he grinned his thanks before heading off to the kitchen.

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"The present is wrapped. Beautifully, if I may say so myself," Buffy announced as she entered the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Thanks Buffy. I'll give it to Doyle tomorrow and tell him not to open it until they're engaged," Angel replied as he added some salt to the pot of nearly boiling water on the stove.

"So what is my fiancé making for dinner?" she asked and he smiled at the term despite the fact that he knew she wasn't serious.

"Pasta. You'll like it, trust me," he told her and she glanced at the pot.

"I have no doubt," she replied as she stood next to him and handed him another pot as he reached for it.

"So you really can't cook?" he asked curiously and she shrugged.

"I can do eggs," she answered. "Scrambled eggs, omelets, pretty much any basic egg thing I have covered. And toast," she added as an afterthought.

"So what do you do for dinner?" he wondered and she shrugged.

"Willow can cook. Or if she's not here I eat out or order in or something," she said but he noticed a sadness cross her eyes for just a moment before she pushed it away.

"What is it?" he asked knowingly and she sighed.

"Riley wanted me to take cooking lessons," she revealed and Angel looked at her in surprise. "He said his wife needed to learn how to cook," he told him and Angel shook his head.

"That guy was a jerk, Buffy," he replied and she smiled at his insistence despite the fact that he'd never met Riley. They both fell silent and he noticed her staring at the pot on the stove. "If you want to learn I can teach you," he offered and she smiled walking towards the stove as he helped her cook the pasta.

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"I can't believe you ruined half the pasta," Angel chuckled as they finished the dishes after dinner.

"Well I told you I wasn't good at cooking," she defended herself but Angel shook his head.

"It's boiling water, not rocket science," he teased with a laugh as he saw a slight blush tint her cheeks.

They had just finished the dishes when there was a knock on the door. Angel glanced at Buffy silently asking if she was expecting anyone, but she merely shrugged as she walked towards the door. Angel hesitated but followed her. She glanced out the window and whirled around to face Angel with a terror stricken look on her face.

"It's Riley," she whispered and Angel's jaw clenched in annoyance. He was coming to get her back. Who wouldn't? Angel knew the right thing to do was to leave them alone to work things out. If they belonged together he shouldn't stand in their way, but it wasn't easy for him to- "Don't leave me alone with him," she begged and he nodded immediately, relieved that she had asked and he wasn't forced into making the noble decision.

The knock came again and Buffy turned and slowly opened the door. Angel stood close behind her, both for moral support and to subtly show Riley that she was taken. She wasn't-not officially anyways-but he didn't need to know that.

"Buffy, I wanted to talk to you," Riley said as his greeting before he noticed Angel standing next to her.

"Riley, I-"

"Is _this_ why you left?" he accused forcing his way into the house. "For him?" he asked not bothering to hide the disgust from his voice. Buffy shut the door behind him and sighed at Riley's attitude. She should have known he wouldn't understand.

"No Riley, he's not why I left you," she answered but Riley didn't seem to be listening. "We weren't right for each other and-"

"Oh, Buffy stop. Don't give me that crap now," Riley ordered and Angel's eyes darkened as he heard Riley disrespect Buffy. He was about to open his mouth when Buffy stomped over to Riley.

"That crap?" she retorted angrily. "Our entire relationship was crap, Riley! And the fact that you could come here, accuse me of cheating on you, and then talk to me like some cheap whore of yours just shows that I was right," she yelled and Angel stood back allowing Buffy to stand up for herself. "We NEVER would have worked together. You're controlling and frankly, really annoying!" she exclaimed and Riley's face reddened in anger.

"I want my ring back," he demanded and Buffy scoffed.

"Fine," she fumed as she spun on her heel and disappeared up the stairs.

"And you," Riley began turning to Angel and poking a finger into Angel's chest.

"Don't do that," Angel warned as he looked down at the finger in his chest.

"I'll do whatever I want," Riley insisted. "Buffy and I are going to be together, and I will do whatever it takes to get her back," he informed Angel who was finding it extremely difficult to not kick this guy out of the house. "We were good together. In bed and out," he boasted and Angel glared at him, his body tight with tension.

"Don't start with me, Boy," he seethed but Riley only sneered and took a half step closer to him.

"Oh Riley, stop," Buffy called tiredly from the stairs when she returned. She walked over towards the two of them who hadn't taken their eyes off each other.

"Are you going to make me fight for you Buffy?" he wanted to know and Buffy rolled her eyes as Riley stood up a little straighter. "I would fight him if that's what it takes."

"Right because that's what would fix things," Buffy replied sarcastically. "Besides, if you fought Angel all you would end up with is a hospital bracelet," she pointed out and Angel felt a sense of pride wash over him despite the fact that he knew Buffy had nothing to base her statement on. She'd never seen him fight and she didn't know anything about his past, but Riley didn't need to know that.

"Come on Buffy, I can hold my own," Riley protested and Angel could see him getting ready for a fight.

"Not with Angel," she insisted and at that comment Riley lashed out and threw a punch at Angel's face. Having anticipated the move, Angel blocked the punch and easily trapped Riley's arms behind his body.

"She doesn't want you Riley. Be a man and get the hell out," Angel seethed as he hustled him towards the door.

"Buffy!" Riley called out but she only followed them towards the door.

"Get out Riley," she said opening the door and helping Angel shove him outside. "Here's your ring," she glared at him as she pushed the small box into his hand. "Now stay away from me," she ordered before slamming the door in his face. "I am so sorry," she breathed out as she turned back to Angel.

"It's fine," he assured her but she shook her head.

"I got you into a fight," she pointed out and he chuckled slightly as she smiled too.

"You seemed pretty confident I'd come out on top," he stated and she sighed.

"Well I've seen Riley fight," she retorted and he laughed acknowledging Riley's lack of skills in the fighting department. "Besides, you look like you can hold your own," she said purposely using Riley's words as she silently gestured to Angel's body. He didn't respond but felt a surge of male pride that she had noticed. With a long sigh she looked over at him knowing they had another big problem. "I don't have a ring to wear now," she pointed out and he nodded understanding what she was saying. If she was engaged, her mother would expect a ring. "We'll have to say it's getting resized or something."

"No way," Angel disagreed immediately.

"What? Why not?" she wondered and Angel walked closer to her as she moved away from the door.

"Because no fiancée of mine would EVER not have a ring when I met her parents, especially on Christmas," he insisted as he grabbed her left hand. "Don't worry about the ring. I'll take care of it," he promised and she looked up at him in surprise. "I've got it covered," he assured her with a smile and he wondered if the idea he had for the ring was a good one or not.

**Hope you guys liked it. Let me know what you thought and what you'd like to see happen. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

PART 4

Buffy stood outside the playground gate as she noticed Angel on his way towards her. He'd told her to meet him here even though they had to leave later that evening, and to be honest she had been relieved when she'd gotten his call. As silly as it seemed, she had been missing him all morning. A small smile tugged at his features when he spotted her and he was next to her in seconds.

"Thank you for coming," he said and she smiled at his words. As if she wouldn't have come. "I told you I would take care of the ring," he reminded her and he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small silver ring. e HHe He held it out for her to see and swallowed thickly wondering why the hell he was so nervous when this wasn't even real. "It's a claddagh ring," he told her. "It's an Irish tradition and my grandmother gave this to me a long time ago," he breathed out as he finally glanced up to see her eyes riveted on the ring in his hand. "The crown stands for loyalty, the hands are for friendship, and the heart…" he trailed off as her eyes met his. "The heart stands for love," he explained. "You wear it with the heart facing towards you. Like this," he said lifting his right hand to show her his matching ring. "It means your heart belongs to someone," he informed her softly as he gently lifted her right hand.

Without another word passing between them, he slid the ring onto her finger, watching as she never took her eyes off of it. He was almost positive he had heard her breath catch in her throat when the ring was finally in place, and he had to admit that a part of him, a large part of him, was wishing this was real.

"Will this work?" he asked quietly and she finally looked up at him.

"It's perfect," she whispered as she intertwined her fingers with his on the hand that was still holding hers. "Thank you."

"Are you packed and ready to go?" he asked rather suddenly and she nodded wondering what he was getting at. "Then let's spend the day together," he suggested and when he looked at her he hoped she couldn't see the nervousness in his eyes.

"Okay," she agreed and he smiled slightly as he tugged on her hand and they began walking. "What are we going to do?" she wanted to know and he shrugged knowing he didn't have any plans but also knowing that if he left her right now he wouldn't stop thinking about her until he saw her again.

"Anything," he told her willing to do whatever she wanted. "Is there something you want to do before you leave?"

"Maybe…" she trailed off but he was quickly learning that the look she had on her face meant she was holding something back.

"What is it?" he asked knowingly and she glanced over at him.

"I usually go ice skating on Christmas Eve, but my mom will have something else planned," she told him and he quickly took a left turn towards the nearest ice rink.

"We can do that," he assured her and the smile on her face told him he had definitely made the right decision about spending the day with her.

"Really?" she asked with a childlike excitement that seemed contagious. "You ice skate?"

"I was quite the hockey player," he informed her with a smirk and she grinned.

"Well then, come on!" she urged. "I haven't had someone who could keep up with me since I was nine," she challenged.

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"It's these rented skates!" Angel insisted for the third time since they'd taken the ice. Buffy had outskated him a few times, and so far he had not lived up to his reputation.

"Uh huh, sure," she teased even though she knew that in all likelihood it was the rented skates because it was taking her a while to get used to them too.

"I'm telling you, if I was in _my_ skates right now I'd skate circles around you," he muttered and with a laugh she skated away. He shook his head but followed her and when he caught up she looked over at him questioningly.

"I take it you're getting used to the skates?" she asked and he shrugged before he sped off throwing her only a challenging smirk over his shoulder. Scoffing, Buffy skated faster, gaining on him from behind hoping to surprise him. When she was just inches away he spun around and grabbed her before she could run into him. He caught her around the waist, barely breaking his stride even as she let out a shocked squeal. "How did you do that?" she asked playfully annoyed as they kept skating.

"I played hockey Buffy," he reminded her noticing that they were now skating a lot closer together than they had been a few minutes ago. "Guys a lot bigger than you ran into me," he pointed out and he got the feeling she had been impressed by his skating. He had never been so happy to be a hockey player in his life.

"Valid point," she conceded with a smile as they both slowed their skating to a more leisurely pace.

"So I know you go ice skating," he began glancing towards her. "But what other Christmas traditions do you have?" he wondered and she shrugged.

"Not many that I can really do anymore," she admitted and he could see sadness in her eyes that hadn't been there a moment ago. "Just…just this I guess. So thank you for coming with me," she said sincerely and his heart clenched at the pain he could see her going through.

"What other traditions can't you do anymore?" he asked gently and she shrugged, part of her not wanting to talk about it and the other part wanting to tell Angel every detail about every Christmas from her childhood.

"Ever since I was a little kid, me and mom would wrap all the presents together. We would always mess with my dad and put his small presents in huge boxes or stuff a ton of tissue paper in the bags so he could never guess what it was," she told him and Angel smiled at the thought. "And I would wrap hers and she would wrap mine, but now that we don't live together we can't do that," she explained and he reached out and grabbed her hand feeling the need to have some sort of physical contact with her.

"How long have you lived apart?" he questioned. He knew Cordelia had moved away from her mother four years ago when she turned 18, but he got the feeling that Buffy had a different story.

"She moved away this summer. A few months after my dad died," she revealed and Angel realized that her mother wanted her to get married so badly because she probably felt guilty for practically abandoning her daughter. "All my friends were here. And Riley, who I was sort of starting to date at the time," she explained and he nodded understanding her reasons for not wanting to move with her mom.

"I'm glad you can spend Christmas with her," he told her sincerely and she offered him a small smile.

"Me too," she agreed and she took a sigh. "After mom and I would wrap the presents I would always go in the kitchen and my dad and I would bake sugar cookies. We would decorate them with sugar and frosting and sprinkles and whatever we could find around the house," she remembered and a wide smile crossed her face at the memory. "And we would present them to my mom like they were the greatest creation ever and she always acted the part. I think we started when I was two and we even did it last year," she sighed, all traces of smiles gone. "I can't believe we did that for twenty years," she said sadly and he could see she was fighting off tears.

She looked down trying to get a hold on her emotions, but realizing that a twenty year tradition had come to an end wasn't an easy pill to swallow. Angel could see she was struggling and he could feel his heart breaking for her, and all he wanted was to make things better for her. He pulled her over to the side of the rink where they could stop skating for a moment.

"Hey," he whispered, tentatively putting a hand on her cheek and wiping away the few tears that had fallen. "Do you…" he trailed off wondering if his offer would make things better or worse. He took a deep breath. He had to try. He couldn't see her so upset and not do anything. "Do you want to make the sugar cookies with me?" he asked softly and when her bottom lip began to tremble and more tears fell from her eyes he cursed himself. He couldn't take the place of her family in something like that. Why had he even tried? He barely knew this girl. How could he think he could help with something so-

His thoughts were cut off when she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his shoulder. Unsure of what else to do he hugged her tightly sensing that she needed him at that moment.

"Do you know how to bake?" she asked softly, her voice muffled against his shoulder. "Because my dad…I never-" she stopped abruptly, but Angel understood what she was saying.

"I know how to make cookies," he assured her and she took a deep breath, but since she didn't step away from him he didn't loosen his grip on her. "And we can decorate them like you used to," he promised as he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"I don't know how to thank you," she admitted as she finally pulled away from him and their eyes met. "You've already made this Christmas so much better than it was going to be without Dad," she told him and he used the pad of his thumb to wipe away some lingering tears from her cheeks.

"You've made this the best Christmas I've had in a long time," he responded honestly and in that moment his entire body ached to kiss her. Just kiss her and take away all her pain. Make her feel better even if it was just for a few seconds. Both of them stood silently, their eyes locked on each other and neither of them able to look away. Finally Angel blinked quickly and took her hands. "Come on, let's go to the store."

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"Buffy," Angel said laughingly as he walked over to the kitchen table where she standing over the cookie dough. "You need more flour," he told her as he saw the dough sticking to the rolling pin.

"I have plenty of flour!" she exclaimed in disbelief and Angel chuckled as she gestured to her clothes which were in fact covered in flour.

"Yeah, just not on the rolling pin," he retorted as he took the rolling pin and peeled off the dough that had stuck to it. "How did you get it all over yourself?" he asked, smiling as he saw a sparkle in her eyes that he hadn't seen since he'd met her.

"It floats, Angel," she whined picking up a pinch of flour and dropping it over the table to illustrate her point. "See?"

"Most people can contain it to the table," he teased and she wrinkled her nose at him as he spread more flour over the rolling pin.

"Well if you're such a flour master, then you roll out the cookie dough," she challenged playfully and after considering her with a raised brow for a moment, he proceeded to easily roll out the dough.

"There's nothing to it," he smirked smugly and she glared at him in mock anger. "Don't forget to flour the cookie cutters," he advised before walking away to get the cookie trays.

"Yes, because we've established how I'm so good with the flouring," she pouted as she dipped the snowflake cookie cutter in a pile of flour on the table. She narrowed her eyes at him as he set the cookie trays on the table for her to put the cookies on after she'd cut them. His black shirt was still perfectly clean. There wasn't a speck of flour on him. "In fact, I think you should just handle all the flouring," she said casually as she walked closer to him. "Here," she grinned innocently as she handed him the cookie cutter.

"Thanks," he said looking at her curiously, wondering where this cheerful side had come from but he took the cookie cutter. Before he could turn to the cookie dough, Buffy stuck both her palms out and ran her floury hands up and down his chest.

"Much better," she announced very pleased with herself as Angel looked from the white streaks on his shirt then up to her in shock.

"Buffy!" he exclaimed in disbelief as a laugh erupted from his throat. "I can't believe you did that," he said attempting to rub the flour off but only proceeding to rub it in further. She laughed at him, as he looked up at her helplessly but he was taken aback by the emotions that hit him when he saw her. She was so happy in that moment, looking as if she didn't have a care in the world, and it thrilled him to know that she was having a good time.

"Well you knew I wasn't good in the kitchen," she pointed out and he shook his head. "And you still offered," she reminded him and he kept silent knowing he would have offered a thousand times if it could get her to smile at him like that just once. Without another word, she ripped off a corner of the raw dough and popped it into her mouth. He was staring at her, transfixed by her every movement and it unnerved her. "What?" she asked and he smiled knowing there was no way in hell he could tell her what he was really thinking. She'd kick him out faster than they'd gotten 'engaged.'

"I can't imagine having to clean up after a four year old version of you," he shook his head and she laughed loudly.

"My dad used to say that my payback was that I was going to have a kid just like me," she told him and Angel smiled, unable to stop his mind from conjuring up an image of him, Buffy, and a little girl that he knew would look just like her. Shit, now he was thinking about a family with this girl? They hadn't even dated. But damn, when she smiled at him like that he just didn't care.

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"Just let me grab my bags and change. Then we'll go," he told her as they walked into his apartment. "This crazy girl got flour all over my shirt," he muttered and wasn't fast enough to avoid her playful slap in the arm. He headed towards the bedroom and right before he disappeared through the door he removed his shirt, his back towards Buffy. Her eyes were glued to the muscles in his back and arms as he moved…wow.

The door closed behind him and she let out a slow breath. She felt her cheeks flush and she remembered how it felt to be in those arms. She had noticed he was good looking, she wasn't blind, but she had been so focused on making sure their fake relationship was believable that it never occurred to her to look at him like that. She couldn't afford to in case it got in the way of their little scam. But now it seemed she couldn't NOT look at him like that.

He came out just seconds later in another black shirt with two bags in his hands.

"Ready?" he asked and she could only nod as he led her out to his car.

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"So, you know what I do for Christmas, but what were your traditions?" she asked curiously as they drove down the highway on the way to her mom's house.

"I don't know," he replied with a shrug feeling uncomfortable at the thought of sharing something so personal with her. How could he tell her these things and then just leave her in a week? "Normal stuff, I guess."

"What normal stuff?" she wanted to know and he sighed knowing he would have to tell her. He had never told anybody much about his past…although nobody else had ever cared to ask.

"Well, when we were kids, _Santa_," he smirked and Buffy smiled at his insinuation, "which in this case was my mom, used to hide an ornament on the tree. It would be a different one every year and it would be written in Santa's note which one it was. Then my sister and I would have to race to find it and whoever found it got to open the first present," he explained and Buffy looked at him in confusion.

"I thought you didn't know Cordelia until a few years ago," she said and he shifted uncomfortably in the driver's seat, glancing at her briefly.

"Not Cordelia," he replied quietly and Buffy realized that there was a lot more to this story than it seemed.

"You have another sister?" she asked wondering why he wasn't spending Christmas with her.

"Not…not anymore," he said softly, and as his words dawned on Buffy she hated herself for bringing this up. She opened her mouth to apologize, but she couldn't seem to find the right words. "She died a little less than two years ago," he revealed and Buffy felt like she'd been punched in the stomach.

"Angel, I'm so sorry," she replied honestly but he shook his head.

"You didn't know," he assured her but she sighed knowing that didn't make it any less painful for him. His father had died a few years ago, his sister had died two years ago, and his mother…what about his mother? Buffy couldn't help but wonder. He hadn't bought her a Christmas present and had quickly changed the subject when she'd suggested it. But it sounded like he'd had a decent childhood…

"What about your mom, Angel?" she asked gently and he glanced at her startled, but at the look of understanding in her eyes he knew he'd be telling her every detail she wanted to know.

"She blamed me for Kathy's death," he admitted and Buffy saw the guilt written all over his face.

"What happened?" she questioned and he sighed.

"I was supposed to pick her up from work one day," he began and he stared straight ahead knowing that if he looked at Buffy he'd fall apart. "I was late and couldn't get there on time. I called, told her to wait, but she called her boyfriend and he picked her up. On the way home, they got into a car accident. Neither of them made it," he finished and Buffy found herself hating Angel's mother.

"That's not your fault Angel!" she said somewhat too forcefully. He looked at her, surprised by her outburst, but relieved that she didn't seem to condemn him for something he'd been carrying around for nearly two years. But still, if he'd just left sooner… "It was an accident!" she insisted seeing that he too believed that he was at least partially responsible. "If you had picked her up what's to say it wouldn't have been both of you in that accident?" she asked and Angel shook his head having run through every possible 'what if' scenario in his head over the years.

"Buffy, I-"

"No, Angel," she said sternly. "It could have been both of you. And then your mom would have lost both of her children," she pointed out and Angel looked at her, startled by her point of view. He'd never thought of it that way and obviously neither had his mother. "I can't imagine losing a child, but she shouldn't blame you. It wasn't your fault," she repeated and Angel swallowed thickly, touched by the loyalty he could hear in her voice.

"She lost a husband and a daughter, Buffy," he reminded her but she shook her head.

"Then she should make sure to hold on to her son," she retorted and she reached out and took his hand in hers. "It's hard when it's sudden," she admitted. "But you need to lean on the people that are still here," she said and he squeezed her hand grateful for her support.

"Thanks," he said finding himself feeling more and more comfortable around her. He spared a glance in her direction and he knew his next question wasn't fair, but he asked it anyways. "What happened to your dad?" he asked wondering if it too was sudden.

"Heart attack," she said simply. "He'd never had one before, but I guess one was enough," she mused and she looked out the passenger window feeling tears sting her eyes. He ran his thumb along the back of her hand soothingly, and he heard her take a deep breath. "Angel?" she asked and their eyes met briefly before he had to tear his away to look at the road. "How do you get through Christmas without them?" she whispered and he felt his throat constrict at the sadness in her voice.

"You remember them, miss them, and wish they were there," he replied honestly knowing that lying wouldn't help either of them. "But you do what you said earlier. You lean on the people that are still here," he assured her and she nodded feeling comforted by his words and he wondered how could two people who barely knew each other talk through things like this together.

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"Ready?" Buffy asked as she heard her mom's footsteps from inside hurrying to her front door. Angel shrugged knowing he would never be ready to meet his fake fiancée's mother. Just then the door opened to reveal Buffy's mother smiling widely at the two of them.

"I'm so glad to see you," she gushed happily as she ushered them inside. "Both of you," she amended as Angel set their bags down on the floor next to them.

"Mom, this is Angel, my fiancé," Buffy stated the introduction she had rehearsed a thousand times since this had all started.

"It's good to finally meet you, Mrs. Summers," Angel greeted politely as he smiled and Buffy admired how at ease he seemed with everything.

"Oh Angel, you can call me Joyce," she told him happily. "I missed you, Honey," she said as she wrapped Buffy in a hug. "And Angel I've been waiting to meet you for a while now," she told him as she gave him a friendly hug as well. "Well, let's get you two settled in your room and then we'll come back down here and catch up," she proposed and Buffy and Angel glanced at each other in terror as her mom headed up the stairs.

"Mom," Buffy called out while starting to follow her up the stairs. "Angel and I are sleeping in separate rooms, right?"

"Oh Honey, you're an adult and you're engaged," she said with a soft chuckle. "I'm not that naïve."

"I-I didn't mean you were naïve," Buffy replied nervously. "You just always seemed so traditional," she babbled and her mom only smiled.

"I just want you happy, Buffy. Anyways, here's your room," she said as they stopped in front of a door near the end of the hall. "There's clean sheets, towels, and if you need anything else just help yourself," she assured them. "I'll give you some time to settle in," she told them before heading back down the hall towards the stairs. Angel dropped the bags onto the floor and the two of them stood silently looking around the room.

How the hell were they supposed to share a room with each other and keep things platonic? He wondered if she had a preference for which side of the bed she usually slept on or if she liked to sleep in or get up early. He would get to hear her voice first thing in the morning when she woke up. He nearly groaned at the thoughts running through his mind until Buffy's voice got his attention.

"I'm sorry," she told him. "I really thought she'd insist on separate rooms," she said and he shrugged acting unaffected by the situation. "I never considered only having one bed."

"It's not a problem," he responded casually. "I can sleep on the floor."

"Angel, you don't have to-"

"I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor," he interrupted and she sighed knowing even after such a short time how old fashioned and chivalrous he felt it was necessary to be.

"Fine," she relented as she walked to the pile of blankets and pillows her mom had left on the chair on the corner. "But at least take these," she insisted shoving them forcefully into his hands. "Now we need to go downstairs or my mom is going to get the wrong idea."

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"Oh good, you're back!" Joyce exclaimed as they entered the living room where she had cookies and mugs of hot chocolate set out for them. "Before we sit down there's just one more thing," she told them as she grabbed a camera from a nearby table. "Go stand over there," she instructed as she pointed to the fireplace.

"Mom," Buffy protested but with one stern glare from her mother, Buffy relented and she and Angel walked towards the fireplace.

"Now, you'll notice I've hung some mistletoe," she winked and Buffy felt her cheeks flush as she realized what her mother had planned. "Just let me get a nice picture of you two," she grinned and Buffy glanced at Angel to see he was clearly just as nervous as she was.

She could do this, she told herself. It was just one quick kiss. They were in front of her mother anyways. Even if he had been her real fiancé she wouldn't exactly be making out with him in front of her mom. She took a deep breath trying to ignore the tingling she could feel from his hands on her waist as she hesitantly turned to face him.

Their eyes met, and distantly Angel heard the camera click. His heart was racing as he remembered the feeling of her lips against his. He'd thought of kissing her countless times, but he had never imagined it would be like this. Her hands gently rested on his chest and he stepped closer to her knowing that even if they could, he didn't want to get out of this. He wanted to kiss her.

He lowered his lips to hers, capturing her top lip in his and kissed her gently. She was shocked at how soft his lips were and she knew without a doubt that she was attracted to him. From just one touch of his lips she felt everything else around her slipping away. Slowly he pulled back, releasing her lips, but their eyes remained locked, both taken aback from the rush of feelings that had risen to the surface during that kiss.

"Oh Angel, there's no reason to be shy," Joyce chuckled as Angel looked at her in surprise. "Give her a real kiss," she said and he glanced back to Buffy to see she hadn't taken her eyes off of him. He didn't need any more encouragement as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. This time, Buffy's arms wrapped around his neck and she pulling him closer as his hands tightened on her waist. She felt his tongue trace her lower lip and she didn't hesitate to open her mouth and let his tongue meet hers. He held back a groan as their tongues slid against each other and he brought one hand up to bury itself in her hair. He flicked his tongue against the roof of her mouth and he heard her gasp softly before he forced himself to pull away.

The kiss left them both slightly breathless and as soon as they separated their eyes locked intensely. Unspoken words flew between them, and Angel slowly untangled his hand from her hair and slid it back to her waist. As it travelled down her body he thought he felt her shiver slightly, and that was when he knew for certain that this wasn't one sided. There was something between them. He just didn't know if she was ready or willing to explore it.

"That was perfect!" Joyce exclaimed breaking them both from their thoughts. "Now while dinner finishes cooking we can chat," she said cheerfully as she set the camera down. "After we eat I admit, I have some last minute Christmas shopping I have to do and most of it is for you two," she told them. "So I hope you don't mind me leaving you here on your own for a few hours," she said guiltily but Buffy shook her head as her mom sat down.

"Of course not. If you're buying us presents!" she joked and her mom smiled.

"Angel, what do you do for a living?" she asked and Buffy cringed inwardly. They hadn't talked about that at all. She didn't have school because of the holiday and since she wasn't a big fan of discussing her major because Riley had been her TA, she had purposely steered all conversation away from their careers or school. She should have known it would be the first thing her mother would ask.

"Um…" Angel stalled clearly wondering if he should tell the truth or come up with a story. Buffy took a deep breath as the two of them sat next to each other on the couch across from her mother. Angel had draped his arm casually around her shoulders, and she couldn't help but lean into him just slightly. "I'm an artist," he finally said and Buffy glanced at him in shock. She knew he liked to draw. She'd seen some of his sketches at his apartment and they were amazing, but she didn't know it was his career.

"Really?" her mom asked intrigued. "What kind of art do you do?"

"He draws," Buffy answered and Angel glanced at her clearly surprised that she knew that. "His sketches are incredible," she told her mother honestly and a small smile took over Angel's face when he realized that Buffy must have seen some of his work and she truly liked it.

"So how did you two meet?" Joyce wondered and Buffy was relieved she had changed the topic.

"We were both at the Bronze," Buffy began, glad that they had planned this answer and were going with the truth. "And Willow went off with Oz so I was alone at the table…" she trailed off wondering how to word the next part. And I practically fell off my chair when this gorgeous guy came over and talked to me?

"And when I saw her, I just had to talk to her," Angel smiled at the memory.

"It's pretty cliché," Buffy admitted but her mother shook her head and smiled.

"Your father and I met in class at college. Cliché can be perfect," she reminded her and Buffy smiled sadly at the mention of her father.

"Mom?" she asked as something occurred to her. "Why aren't the outside decorations up?" she wondered and the smile on her mother's face barely faltered as she shrugged.

"I just spent so much time decorating inside I didn't get to the outside this year," she said but Buffy could see that wasn't the truth. Before she could press further they heard the timer go off and Joyce jumped up to check on dinner. Buffy let out a sigh as she glanced out the window. Every other house had lights up.

"Buffy," Angel spoke up and she turned to look at him. "Did your dad put up the outside decorations?" he asked knowingly and when she nodded Angel used the arm around her shoulders to hug her tightly. He placed a kiss on top of her head as she rested her head against him. "When your mom goes shopping, do you want to put them up and surprise her?" he suggested and Buffy looked up at him with wonderment in her eyes. "We could probably get it done while she's gone."

"You're amazing," she breathed out and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "That would be perfect Angel. Thank you," she gushed and he simply held her, loving the feeling of having her in his arms.

"Buffy!" they heard from the kitchen and they pulled apart at the disruption. "Could you help me for a second?"

"Your mom really wants your help in the kitchen?" he teased and she punched him playfully in the shoulder.

"Shut up," she retorted as she stood up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen. When she got halfway there she turned back to face him. "Maybe you should come too. You know, in case she actually does need help cooking," she added and with a smile he followed her.

"Oh Angel, you didn't have to come," Joyce admonished but Angel only chuckled.

"Well, if you wanted help cooking we figured Buffy wasn't the best option," he joked and Joyce laughed as Buffy simply sat at the kitchen table while Angel walked up next to Joyce at the oven.

"You know my daughter too well," she shook her head and Angel laughed. "Do you cook Angel?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Yes, he does. Very well," Buffy jumped in and Angel glanced at her, surprised by her immediate praise.

"Well, compared to Buffy I'm a gourmet chef," he smirked and Joyce nodded in agreement as she handed him an oven mitt.

**Okay guys, let me know if you're still liking the story! Please leave some feedback.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here we go! **

PART 5

"I'm so sorry to have to leave you guys," Joyce said as she put on her coat by the door.

"It's fine, Mom," Buffy assured her. "I have some wrapping and things to do."

"Buffy," her mom said, clearly sounding hurt. "You're doing the wrapping without me?" she asked and Buffy felt her hopes soar. "I thought we would do it together."

"You saved the wrapping for me?" she questioned in a small voice and Angel smiled next to her knowing how much it meant to Buffy to be able to continue this tradition with her mother.

"Of course. It's our tradition," her mom replied and Buffy grinned.

"Thanks mom," she said softly and when her mom nodded and headed out the door with a wave Angel turned to Buffy.

"So where does she keep the lights?" he wondered and Buffy headed towards the attic.

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"We've never decorated this house so I don't really know what to do," Buffy admitted as they stood outside looking at the house. "The railings?" she asked and Angel shrugged.

"It's as good a place to start as any," he agreed and they dug through the boxes until Buffy found the garland she had been thinking of. She handed some to Angel, took some herself, and then they each took a railing. Within fifteen minutes they had the railings decorated. "What next?" he questioned finding himself excited to be helping Buffy surprise her mother.

"Um, can you hang bows on those lights?" she asked gesturing to the lights next to the front door. "I can't reach," she said sheepishly and he chuckled.

"You got it," he replied as he found some red bows in the boxes.

"I'll be untangling the lights. My dad was famous for throwing them in a box and getting them into a mess," she laughed and he smiled at the fact that she was remembering the good times without being saddened by the loss. "If these even still light up it will be a Christmas miracle."

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"Do you think the lights need to go higher on the tree?" Angel asked as they backed up and looked at what they had done so far.

"Maybe, but we can't reach and I know my mom doesn't have a ladder, so let's just make the best of it," she shrugged but he shook his head.

"Come on, we can do better than that," he argued with a mischievous grin and she eyed him warily. "Grab some lights," he directed. "You're going up there."

"What?" she exclaimed as she dropped the lights she had just picked up.

"I'll lift you up. You can sit on my shoulders," he grinned at the shocked expression on her face.

"No!" she protested with a laugh but he walked closer to her. "Angel, no," she insisted even as he leaned down, picked up the lights and put them back in her hand.

"Don't you trust me?" he asked in a low voice and she sighed hating him for making it so hard for her to refuse him.

"Yes, but-Angel!" she cried as he picked her up by the waist and easily settled her on his shoulders. "Dammit Angel, you took advantage of my size!" she accused and he laughed at the indignant sound of her voice.

"So take advantage of mine," he retorted playfully. "You're tall now. You can reach. Decorate the tree," he challenged as he walked closer to the tree.

"This better be the best tree in the city," she warned and he laughed as she began stringing the lights higher than either of them could reach on their own.

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"I told you the tree would look better with lights higher up," Angel bragged as they walked back to the boxes after finishing the tree.

"Just wait until we have to take them down," she pointed out with a raised brow and Angel pouted at her lack of excitement. "You'll have to come back and help," she teased and a smile crossed his face at the thought. He'd come back if she wanted him to.

"What's this?" he asked reaching in and pulling out a box.

"That's our blow up Santa. My dad hated putting it up," she told him and he quickly opened the smaller box. "He didn't even put it out the past few years."

"This is so cool," he muttered as he pulled out the stakes, strings, and the Santa. "We're putting this up," he informed her as he walked over to an empty spot in the lawn and began setting it up.

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"This is fucking ridiculous!" Angel exclaimed in frustration as he tried again to stomp the metal stake into the ground. "Give me the damn box," he growled as a laughing Buffy handed him the box with instructions on it.

"I told you it was hard to set up," she reminded him and he glared at her.

"It's going to look good," he insisted and she managed to hold back the laughter, but there seemed to be a permanently amused smile on her face. "As soon as this freaking stake stays in the ground," he muttered as he stomped on it one last time. "There!" he announced when he was finally satisfied that the stake was secure. "Hand me the rope for this side," he said and Buffy grabbed the rope and gave it to Angel. He quickly clipped it onto the stake. "It's done," he announced and stepped back so they could admire his handiwork. "What do you think?" he asked when they had gotten far enough away that they could get a good view of it.

"It looks…great," Buffy smiled and Angel glared at her.

"It looks like Santa after Christmas. AFTER he's been on a three day bender," he retorted and Buffy burst into laughter. "He's crooked!" he exclaimed in annoyance as he stomped back towards the Santa. "Some stakes are closer in than others," he muttered and Buffy didn't bother telling him that she had noticed that when he put them in. It was much more entertaining this way. "NOW I know why your dad hated this thing," he told her without looking up.

"Well my mom always loved it, so thank you," Buffy said and he looked up at her. He saw the reflections of blue, pink, and red Christmas lights on her face and she'd put gloves on because her hands had gotten cold despite the fact that they were in LA. When her smiling eyes met his it finally hit him. He was falling for this girl. He'd spent the last 45 minutes putting up an eight foot blow up Santa for her mother without even being asked. And he knew he'd do it for the rest of the night if he had to.

"Anytime," he told her honestly.

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"I don't know how to thank the two of you," Joyce said with tears in her eyes as she took in the sight before her. "And you even put up our Santa!" she exclaimed with a laugh as she spotted the blow up Santa standing, thankfully straight, in the yard.

"Yes and Dad was right. It's not easy," Buffy told her and Joyce immediately wrapped the two of them in a warm hug.

"It's perfect," she whispered as she pulled back and dried some of the tears off her face. "Angel I want to thank you for making this such a special Christmas for Buffy," she said sincerely as she turned towards him. "And me," she added with a smile and Angel only shrugged.

"Believe me, being here has made this the best Christmas I've had in a really long time," he said quietly and when Buffy grabbed his hand he knew she understood that it had been his best Christmas since his father had died , maybe even since he was a kid.

"You want to start wrapping?" Joyce suggested and Buffy nodded eagerly before glancing at Angel.

"Angel can't wrap," she teased as they walked inside the house.

"I can wrap!" he said indignantly but Buffy shook her head.

"Then why are my presents store wrapped?" she retorted and Joyce smiled at the exchange before them. He stayed silent and glared at her, and Joyce chuckled as she pulled the wrapping paper out of the front hall closet.

"Well when you two get married Angel can cook and you can wrap all the presents, Buffy," she offered and Buffy smiled at the pout that was still on Angel's face. "Angel, I don't know if you have things to get together for Buffy, but if you want to help us you can fill out gift tags," she said cheerfully and he laughed with a shrug.

"Sure," he agreed and he watched Buffy pull the coffee table to the side of the living room and seat herself on the floor in front of her mother. The two of them easily fell into their ritual and as he sat down next to Buffy he felt oddly at ease and so much like a part of the family that he wished more than anything that this was real.

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"Angel?" Buffy called softly from the bed as she peered over the edge to see if he was asleep yet.

"Yeah?" he responded as he opened his eyes having known he would be wide awake long into the night.

"I-I just wanted to thank you for today," she said shyly and in the dark he couldn't read her facial expression. "I mean, the cookies and the decorating and the wrapping…"

"I didn't mind Buffy," he assured her but she let out a quiet sigh.

"Well, you didn't have to do those things," she told him as they both stared up at the ceiling. "Most real fiancés probably wouldn't have done those things," she pointed out and he didn't bother telling her she had obviously dated guys who were totally unworthy of her. "You were perfect, Angel," she whispered and he ached to be in that bed next to her holding her in his arms.

"So were you," he said honestly and she bit back the tears she could feel stinging her eyes. "But why don't you like to talk about school?" he questioned and Buffy shook her head.

"Why didn't you tell me you were an artist?" she retorted and he began to get the feeling that school was a touchy subject for her.

"It didn't come up," he answered simply and she sighed knowing he deserved the truth. She had no reason to keep it from him especially after he had been so good all day.

"Riley was my TA. That's how we met," she admitted with a shrug. "And it just got weird," she shook her head unsure of what to say. "When I decided to major in psych, I didn't plan on ending up with the TA."

"What do you plan on?" he asked her and she smiled slightly at his genuine interest.

"I think I want to work with little kids," she told him and he smiled. She would be great with little kids. "Maybe be a school counselor in an elementary school or something," she told him and he smiled. "My mom would love the idea of me working in a school."

"Your mom's great," he said and at the sound of Buffy's soft laughter he smiled. "But does she always keep it this hot in the house at night?"

"She doesn't like to be cold when she sleeps," she explained and he shook his head as he shoved the blankets farther down. "It is hot but I have to have a blanket to sleep just so I'm comfortable," she told him and he looked over and sure enough she was covered in the blanket. "And my mom LOVES you," she added and when he glanced over towards her he found her still looking up at the ceiling.

"Did she say something?" he wondered and she shrugged.

"She didn't have to," she told him honestly. "She did tell me she thinks you're very handsome," Buffy grinned at the memory and Angel was relieved that she wouldn't notice his slight blush in the dark. "She thought the claddagh rings are old fashioned and she loves that," she continued as she subconsciously fiddled with the ring on her hand. "She completely melted when I told her about our first date…well the first date you described," she admitted although over the past few days she had found herself imagining the two of them on that date a number of times. "And you're just such a nice young man," she said imitating her mother's voice and drawing a chuckle out of Angel.

"Well I'm glad I passed the test," he replied and Buffy shook her head.

"You more than passed," she said pulling the covers tighter around her. "I think my mom wants to marry you," she joked.

"Really?" he asked with a soft laugh.

"Yeah," she responded and he could hear the beginnings of sleep entering her voice. "But I can't really blame her," she murmured and he froze wondering if she was aware of what she had just said. "Goodnight Angel," she breathed and he swallowed tightly. This was going to be a long, long holiday.

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"So what are our Christmas Eve plans?" Buffy asked after they had all finished breakfast the next morning. Buffy normally didn't wake up early, but on Christmas Eve her family had made it a tradition to spend the whole day together, unless they still had shopping to do, so she woke up no later than eight every year.

"Well I wasn't sure," Joyce admitted as she finished up the dishes from breakfast. "I didn't know what Angel would like so I came up with a few ideas and thought I'd run them by you two," she told them and Buffy nodded.

"Run them," she encouraged excited to get their day started.

"Well your dad and I always talked about going to Disneyland on Christmas Eve," she began and by the look of childlike excitement in Buffy's eyes Angel knew how he was going to be spending his day. "What do you think of that?" she asked and Buffy grinned.

"Can we go?" she exclaimed and Angel laughed out loud as he glanced at her mom to see a similar amused expression on her face.

"The park passes are in my purse," Joyce said obviously having anticipated her daughter's reaction. "We can be there by eleven and the park's open until midnight."

"I'll go get ready!" Buffy nearly squealed but her mom stopped her before she could leave.

"I know you normally go ice skating on Christmas Eve," she began but Buffy shrugged. Disneyland was way cooler than ice skating. "So if we go to Downtown Disney we can skate on the Secret of the Wings skating rink. It's Tinker Bell themed," her mom explained and Buffy looked from Angel to her mom with a mile wide grin on her face. "Now you can go get ready," her mom laughed as Buffy quickly left the kitchen to get her things together.

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"Look!" Buffy exclaimed as she pointed to the Sleeping Beauty Castle on Main Street. "It's so pretty when everything's decorated," she commented as she made her way through the crowd.

"Here, Buffy stop," her mom said to her as she gestured to a Disney photographer. "I want to get a Photopass so we can get some pictures of you two," she told her, luckily oblivious to the discomfort that statement caused in Buffy and Angel. When the photographer was ready for them Joyce, Buffy, and Angel all posed on Main Street for a photo. After they were done Joyce left, but she gestured for Buffy and Angel to stay. "Just the two of them now. They just got engaged," she told the photographer who grinned excitedly.

"Wonderful!" she exclaimed happily. "Just put your arm around your fiancée," she instructed Angel who quickly did as he was told. They took that picture, but the photographer wasn't done. "Now kiss!" she yelled out and they turned to each other awkwardly. Instead of the hesitation she expected, Angel leaned down and immediately pressed his lips to hers. They heard the camera click twice and separated, both of them avoiding eye contact with each other. The photographer scanned their Photopass card and congratulated them before they walked away.

"That is a priceless photo," Joyce told them as they walked further down Main Street. "I'll definitely be buying the photo CD," she shook her head. "Disney sure has a way of making you spend money," she laughed and at that exact moment something in a store window caught Buffy's eye.

"Come here," she said tugging Angel's hand as she led him into the store. His eyes widened slightly at the expanse of Disney merchandise. There were literally rooms filled with Mickeys, Minnies, and Plutos, and then all the Christmas versions of those characters. "I never told you this," she said quietly to Angel as she looked at the snow globe sitting on the shelf. "But I've always loved Disney," she told him and he chuckled.

"I figured that one out," he replied and he smiled at the slight blush that consumed her cheeks.

"When I was little I had a snow globe collection. You know those little plastic ones?" she explained as she turned to him and he nodded. "And my parents said that when I got older, when I got my own house they would buy me the first snow globe to start my real collection. And I asked if it could be the Little Mermaid," she smiled as her eyes remained fixed on the snow globe in front of her. It was a scene from the Little Mermaid with Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian in bright colors and glitter. "Just like this one. My dad told me that he didn't think I'd still want a Little Mermaid one by the time I had my own house," she giggled as she ran her finger along the snow globe gently. "I guess I never grew out of my Disney phase," she admitted before forcing herself out of her memories and she turned back to Angel.

"I'm glad," he told her honestly and she looked at him curiously. "If something makes you this happy I don't want you to grow out of it," he said and she smiled shyly at him before she heard her mom calling her.

"Buffy come here. This is adorable!" she cried out as she held up an ornament that Angel couldn't see. Instead of following Buffy he let her walk over to her mom and he drifted back to the snow globes. It was expensive, but she loved it. Her mom should really be the one giving it to her, but he didn't know how he would get to her mom to tell her without alerting Buffy.

He carefully slid a box off the shelf and glanced over to see Buffy and her mom still absorbed in the ornament display. He disappeared into a different room in the store and hurried to find a checkout. If he wasn't done soon they might come looking for him and ruin the surprise. Two rooms over from where he'd found it, he got into a checkout that had only a few people in line in front of him. His eyes darted around him, frantically searching to see if Buffy had realized he was missing yet.

"Are you alright, dear?" an older woman in front of him asked concerned and he smiled.

"Yeah I'm fine," he assured her. "I'm uh," he wondered what he should say before finally settling on the truth. "My fiancée's in this store and I'm buying this as a Christmas present for her so I don't want her to realize I'm not with her anymore," he explained and the woman laughed at him.

"Oh take my place in line," she told him as she stepped back behind him. "I have a soft spot for young love," she chuckled and he hesitated but when she gestured for him to step forward he smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," he said and she smiled. "I really appreciate it," he told her truthfully as he glanced around again, relieved when he didn't see any signs of Buffy or her mother.

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"So what did you buy Buffy?" Joyce asked hours later when Buffy was in the bathroom between rides.

"What?" Angel responded, confused by the question.

"When we first got here," she clarified. "We were looking at ornaments and you slunk off somewhere," she told him with a smile. "I've done my fair share of secret shopping Angel. I know what it looks like," she laughed and Angel broke out into a smile as he realized what she was talking about.

"Um, a Little Mermaid snow globe," he said and Joyce looked at him curiously. "She said that you and her dad always used to say that when she got her own house you'd give her her first snow globe for her collection," he reminded her as he saw recognition dawning in her eyes. "And…" he trailed off. "Well when she saw it she just fell in love with it," he admitted knowing this was the real reason he'd bought it. He was pretty sure he'd buy her anything she wanted. "I thought you should give it to her," he told her but Joyce shook her head.

"I wouldn't have even remembered that Angel," she protested but Angel ignored her.

"It's a memory she has of her parents," he said gently. "It should come from you," he insisted and Joyce sighed knowing he was right but feeling guilty for taking credit for such a thoughtful gift.

"We'll both give it to her," she compromised and Angel considered it before nodding. "And I'm paying you for-"

"Don't worry about it," he assured her. "We're practically family."

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"Angel come on, you HAVE to wear it!" she begged as she held out the hat to him. He looked at the Santa hat in front of him, the one with Mickey ears on the sides, and shook his head.

"I'm not wearing that hat," he told her firmly but he felt his resolve weakening at the sight of her pout.

"Please Angel," she said as she reached up and placed the hat on his head. "You look so cute!" she exclaimed but Angel quickly took it off his head. "Oh come on, I'll wear this one," she offered as she picked up the same hat, but this one had a green sparkly bow in the middle of it. It was a Minnie Santa hat. She put it on her head and brushed her hair out of the way and looked up at him with a pleading smile. "Please Angel. It's Christmas," she begged and he sighed. This thing between them had gone way too far, he realized. He was going to be wearing a freaking Mickey Santa hat before the day was over-hell before the conversation was over-in public.

"Fine," he huffed out and he shoved the hat onto his head. "But no pictures," he practically growled but Joyce only laughed at them.

"Oh there will be pictures. You two are adorable," she warned as she nearly pushed them in front of the nearest Photopass photographer.

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"Fantasmic! was wonderful," Joyce said as they shared their favorite parts of the day.

"I liked the fireworks," Angel commented as he set down the bags from all the shopping they'd done at Disney.

"Maybe the ice skating," Buffy shrugged as Angel helped her take off her jacket. "I don't know. The whole day was perfect," she grinned before something occurred to her. "Oh my God, Angel! We have something in the kitchen for mom!" she exclaimed having almost forgotten about the cookies. He looked at her in confusion and when her mom looked at Angel Buffy mimicked rolling out dough. His eyes widened in recognition and he hurried to Buffy's side.

"You just stay here," Angel instructed Joyce who laughingly sat on the couch. "We'll be back," he said as the two of them disappeared into the kitchen. "What do we do? Do you have like, a plate?" he asked in a whisper and Buffy smiled as she opened a cabinet and pulled out a Christmas platter. "Perfect," he grinned as he grabbed the tin of cookies they had hidden in a cabinet her mom never opened. They opened it and began to spread the cookies around the platter. "They're not all going to fit," Angel realized and Buffy shrugged.

"We can stack them. Or leave some in the tin for later," she assured him and he nodded as he began a second layer of tree, snowman, candy cane, and snowflake cookies. After a few minutes they were pleased with what they had created and Buffy lifted it off the counter as Angel held the door to the living room open for her.

"Merry Christmas Mom," Buffy announced as she entered the room. As soon as Joyce saw the cookie tray she stood up and her jaw dropped.

"Oh Buffy," she cried out in surprise as Buffy set the tray on the coffee table. "I can't believe you did this," she whispered with tears in her eyes.

"Angel helped," Buffy told her and Joyce chuckled slightly through her tears.

"Yes I can see they're not burned," she joked and Angel smiled as Buffy wrinkled her nose playfully at her mother. "You two are just wonderful," she said as she picked up a tree cookie off the tray. She bit into it, exclaiming in delight as she chewed and Buffy grinned, obviously pleased that her mother was happy.

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"Maybe you should go to bed, Buffy," Angel suggested as he saw her yawn for the third time that night.

"You're right," she agreed as she stood up. She glanced back towards him, obviously wondering whether or not he was coming with her.

"I'll be up in a little bit," he told her and she looked at him curiously. That was weird. What kind of guy wanted to hang out with their fake fiancée's mom?

"We have some things to get set up for you, Honey," her mom explained and Buffy grinned, always thrilled by the prospect of presents.

"Okay, well goodnight," she said to both of them, finding it more natural than she should to lean down and give Angel a soft kiss on the lips. He smiled at her as she pulled away and headed towards the stairs. As soon as she was safely out of earshot her mother stood up and grabbed the bags from Disney that held the presents they still needed to wrap.

"So besides the snow globe you didn't buy anything, right?" she double checked and Angel shook his head. There had been a pair of earrings he had wanted to get for her, but he hadn't been able to get away from her long enough to buy them.

"Well, I got this," her mom said as she pulled out a box and opened it for Angel to see. Inside was a jewelry box and his curiosity was immediately peaked. When had she been able to buy those? "When you two went on Space Mountain I went shopping," she explained with a smile before opening the box. Inside were the same crown shaped earrings that Angel had wanted to get for her. They crown had a diamond Mickey head in the middle, and he knew they would be perfect for her.

"I almost bought those for her!" he exclaimed in shock and Joyce laughed at his enthusiasm. "I couldn't get away to hide them though," he told her; thrilled that Buffy would still be getting them.

"Well maybe we should switch gifts then," she suggested and Angel glanced up at the suggestion. "You give her these and I'll give her the snow globe."

"That would be perfect," he agreed with a smile. "As long as you wrap them both."

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When he got upstairs that night Buffy was already asleep. He looked over at her and found himself watching her. She had the blankets pulled up to her chin despite the fact that her mom had it far too hot for blankets to be necessary, and the memory of their conversation from last night made him smile. Her hair fell around her shoulders on the pillow and he sighed to himself as he took in her peaceful expression. This fake engagement had gone way too far, he knew that, but he wasn't going to do anything to put a stop to it. He didn't want to. He wanted to keep spending time with her.

He'd been getting the feeling that she was starting to feel the same way about him, but he wasn't sure if that was true or just wishful thinking on his part. But now when he touched her she never shied away and she usually seemed to welcome it. And when they had kissed…his heart still sped up at the mere thought of it. It wasn't their first kiss, and he'd imagined it a thousand times, but it had surpassed all of his expectations. And she had kissed him back-eagerly. That was what he kept coming back to in his mind. She had kissed him back.

**Alright guys, so next up is Christmas morning. I'll try to have that posted but it won't be until late tonight. I will be working on this story tomorrow. We don't have any family here or anything so we have a pretty quiet Christmas and I'll be able to write and post. Leave some feedback as a Christmas present!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay guys, normally I'd give myself another day to edit this, but I really wanted it up so you guys could read it on Christmas because we're at Christmas morning in the story.**

PART 6

The next morning Buffy woke up to an incessant knocking on the bedroom door. She rolled over, exhausted from the events of the day before.

"Go away," she mumbled into the pillow.

"Buffy, it's Christmas morning!" her mother called from outside. "I've got breakfast in bed for you two," she said and Buffy was suddenly wide awake. Oh God, her mother could NOT come in here and find Angel sleeping on the floor.

"Um, hold on Mom. Let me just wake Angel," Buffy said as she leaned over the edge of the bed and shook Angel violently. He woke up and looked at her in confusion and she didn't waste a second. "My mom's about to come in here with breakfast. You have to get in bed," she told him and he immediately jumped up and scrambled into the bed. Buffy picked up the blankets from the floor, folding them quickly and setting them at the foot of the bed. "Get the pillows," she hissed and Angel quickly did as he was told and set them behind him like he'd been using them all night. She slid back towards the pillows and scooted over to Angel. "Hold me," she ordered and he happily opened his arms waiting for her to crawl into them. As his hands fell to her stomach he felt his palms touching a soft satin and that was when he looked at her pajamas. Or lack thereof.

"Buffy, _these_ are your pajamas?" he nearly groaned even as his hands slid over her hip, smoothing the black material over her skin.

"Well you said yourself my mom keeps it hot in the house at night. And I didn't think we'd be in the same room," she reminded him as she glanced down to the lacy tank top she was wearing. It didn't leave much to the imagination. "Sorry," she said knowing it was probably uncomfortable for Angel. She knew she was starting to feel things for him, but she wasn't sure he felt the same way.

"No," he assured her immediately. "Don't be sorry. Really, really don't be sorry," he whispered and although he tried he couldn't stop running his hands along her body. The tank top and matching shorts…and sometimes his fingers slid just under the hem of her tank top. Her breath hitched as his he grazed the skin of her stomach.

"Angel," she breathed as she grabbed his hand to still his movements.

"Sorry," he said knowing he had crossed a line. "I'm sorry," he repeated feeling guilty for making her uncomfortable. This was still fake as far as she was concerned and he owed it to her not to take advantage of his position.

"No. Don't be sorry," she whispered surprising him and making him think for a moment that maybe he wasn't the only one starting to feel something.

"Buffy, is everything alright?" they heard Joyce yell from outside the door and Angel and Buffy both stiffened in surprise.

"Yeah mom, come in," she replied and Joyce opened the door and entered carrying a tray filled with breakfast foods.

"Coffee, pastries, and everything you'll need for a Christmas breakfast in bed!" she announced cheerfully, oblivious to what she had interrupted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X

"Buffy, this one is for you from Angel," her mom told her as she handed her a box that was clearly store wrapped. They had been opening presents for a while now and had finished with all the ones they'd brought up from Sunnydale and the ones from distant relatives. All that was left were the ones from each other because Joyce always liked to save those for the end.

Buffy tore at the wrapping and Angel knew she would like this present. She held up the box of slippers with a wide grin on her face.

"Angel, you got me the pink ones!" she exclaimed excitedly and he nodded. "I got Willow these in blue and, what Angel? Did you go back and get me these?" she asked him and he nodded again, pleased that she liked them as much as he'd thought she would. She pulled them out of the box and put them on her feet wiggling them for both of them to see. "They're so cute! Thank you, Angel," she said happily and Joyce chuckled at the sight before her.

"Now I got something for the two of you," Buffy's mom told them as she pulled out a present from under the tree. "It's nothing big, just something I found," she explained as she handed it to Angel. Buffy leaned over his shoulder as he ripped through the paper and he could feel the excitement radiating from her body. He opened the box and when he saw what was inside, both he and Buffy couldn't hold back a laugh. "I couldn't resist," Joyce told them.

"It's what we got for Angel's sister and her fiancé," Buffy told her mom as she looked at the Engaged to Be Merried Christmas picture frame. Inside was the picture her mother had taken of them kissing under the mistletoe. "This is perfect. Thank you," she said sincerely and her mom smiled.

"Okay Angel, now I want you to open your present from me," Buffy told him as she got up and found the box she had wrapped for him. It was heavier than she remembered and she suddenly felt nervous. What if he hated it? She hadn't known he was an artist when she bought it. She just thought it was a hobby of his. "You can take it back if you don't-"

"Buffy I'm going to love it," he promised her knowing there was no way in hell he was going to return the first present she gave him no matter what it was. She handed it over and sat down next to him, nervously biting her bottom lip as he pulled the bow off. It seemed to take centuries for him to get through the paper, but when he did and he opened the box, his eyes widened in surprise. He picked up the sketch book and looked over at her. "Buffy?" he asked in a quiet voice, shocked that she had gotten him something so perfect. She blushed slightly and he saw the drawing materials she'd packed with the book. "Thank you," he said sincerely and she gave him a soft smile. "I mean it Buffy," he told her as he held the book in his hand. It was nice, and he could tell it wasn't cheap. "This is the best gift anyone's given me," he said and he couldn't resist leaning over and kissing her softly. Later if she asked he would say he was just playing a part, but he knew that wasn't the case. "Now you have to open one of mine," he said as he stood up and Joyce handed him the present she'd wrapped for him the night before.

The second it was in her hands, Buffy began tearing at the paper, eager to see what he had gotten her besides slippers. He sat down next to her hoping she would like the earrings. When she saw that the box was from Disney she grinned up at him and he couldn't contain his own smile. She opened it quickly, and her face lit up when she saw the earrings.

"These are amazing!" she gushed as she held them up for her mom to see. "When did you get these?" she wanted to know and he gestured towards Joyce.

"Your mom actually bought them. I couldn't get rid of you long enough for it to be a surprise," he teased and she smiled at her mom before turning back towards Angel.

"Thank you. I love them," she told him before standing up and walking over to the mantle. She grabbed an envelope that she hadn't put under the tree in case it got lost. She handed it over to her mother who looked at her in surprise. "I know you said I didn't have to get you anything, but we did anyways," she explained with a shrug.

"You shouldn't have Buffy," her mother admonished even as she opened the envelope. She pulled out the contents and as she read them she smiled widely. "A spa weekend?" she asked and Buffy nodded.

"We thought you could use some time to yourself to relax," she grinned and Joyce hugged her tightly before looking over to see Angel smiling at the two of them.

"Thank you Angel," Joyce said and he nodded before she wrapped him in a hug as well. As she pulled away she grabbed another present and handed it to Angel to give to Buffy.

"This is the last one from me," he told Buffy as he handed it to her hoping she didn't think he'd gotten her too much. She took the small box and carefully removed the bow as she sat on the couch. He sat next to her nervously knowing this was the most personal gift he'd gotten her. As she pulled the paper off, he held his breath awaiting her reaction.

She opened the velvet box and gasped when she caught sight of what was inside. The necklace had a cross with diamond accents. Looking to him and then back to the necklace she struggled to find her voice.

"This is beautiful, Angel," she finally whispered as she slowly took it out of the box. "Can you put it on me?" she asked him and he nodded, thrilled that she seemed to like it. He took the necklace and she turned her back to him holding her hair up out of the way. He gently slid the necklace around her neck, unable to stop his fingers from grazing her skin as he clasped it. She dropped her hair and it fell around his fingers when he didn't remove them right away. His hand trailed slowly down her back as she turned around and his breath caught in his throat. She was beautiful. She was perfect.

Without another word she stood and walked to the mantle grabbing the other envelope sitting there. She sat back on the couch next to Angel and handed it to him.

"I'm not sure this is as nice as the necklace," she admitted with a smile and Angel took the envelope that he assumed contained a gift certificate. But the drawing materials were so perfect… He couldn't believe she'd thought of such a gift for him after only knowing him such a short time. "But I thought you might like it," she said and he smiled as he opened the envelope.

When he pulled out what was inside his eyes widened in shock. It was not a gift certificate. It was definitely not a gift certificate. He could barely believe what he was reading even as he held the proof in his hands.

"Tickets to the LA Kings?" he exclaimed in exuberant shock and she nodded with a smile. She had never seen him so enthusiastic.

"Well I know you like hockey," she replied and he grinned as he looked up at her.

"These are really good seats, Buffy," he told her and she grinned at his childlike excitement. She liked seeing him like this, she realized. And she loved that it was something she did that made him this happy.

"Right against the glass," she agreed and he suddenly pulled her into is arms hugging her tightly in thanks. "I'm glad you like it," she giggled and he laughed in response as he finally pulled back, his eyes immediately going back to the tickets.

"This is incredible. I'm telling you Buffy, you're going to love it," he said and she felt her heart soar before she had to remind herself that he was just playing a part. He wasn't actually planning on taking her. He would probably take Doyle.

"I can't wait," she told him finding herself so swept up by the Christmas spirit that she actually wished he would be taking her with him. But the game wasn't for months and she wouldn't even be seeing him by then. As that thought struck her, she felt tears building behind her eyes so to take her mind off it she walked up to the tree and grabbed the last present for her mom.

Angel looked over at Buffy wondering what had happened in the last few minutes. She had been so happy and now she looked on the verge of tears. When she handed the last present to her mom he realized what the problem must be. This last gift was sentimental and she was getting emotional over it.

"Here mom, we thought you might like this," she said softly and her mom took the box. As Joyce tore at the paper, Angel walked over to Buffy and placed his hand on her shoulder for support. She glanced up at him and he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as Joyce opened the box.

"Oh my…" Joyce trailed off as she opened the locket to reveal a picture of her and Hank on their wedding day. Buffy saw the tears gathering in her mother's eyes and she had to fight to contain her own. She didn't want to cry. If she started to she didn't know if she would stop. Angel seemed to sense her mood because he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close to him. She leaned against him, needing his support more than she had anticipated. "Buffy, this is perfect," her mother whispered tearfully as she unclasped it and moved to the mirror hanging on the wall. Buffy followed her and watched as her mom put the necklace on and then turned to face her. "Thank you," she said as she hugged her daughter tightly. "You remind me so much of him sometimes," she told her and Buffy couldn't hold back the tears at her words.

"He would yell at us if he knew we were crying over him on Christmas," Buffy reminded her mother as she wiped away her tears quickly. Her dad had always loved Christmas and if he knew that his memory was bringing them down on his favorite holiday he wouldn't have been happy.

"Oh you're right," Joyce laughed as she wiped her own tears away and walked back to the tree for the last present, now determined not to cry over her late husband any more. "Buffy, this is my gift to you," she announced as she handed Buffy a box.

Buffy expertly tore through the wrapping paper feeling the need to have something take her mind off both her father and Angel. She pulled the box out of the paper and when she saw what it was she knew her mind wouldn't be taken off Angel.

"A Little Mermaid snow globe," she whispered as tears blurred her vision again. "Thank you mom," she said as she hugged her tightly.

"Angel thought of it," her mom told her and Buffy nodded having known that the second she opened it. Of course he thought of it. He thought of everything. "Now I have just one last gift and it's for both of you," she said with a smile. "I kept it in the other room just in case you started snooping," she teased. "I'll be right back," she promised as she left the living room.

The second she left Angel was at Buffy's side silently pulling her into his arms. She clung to him, relieved she didn't have to say anything. He didn't push her to talk. He just held her. When she heard her mother's footsteps reenter the room she reluctantly stepped away from him. Joyce was grinning as she handed them a thick envelope.

"This is something Hank and I got when we were first engaged and I thought it was only right you got it too," she told them and Buffy let Angel open the envelope. He pulled out a bunch of paperwork and his eyes widened as he realized what the gift was. He glanced down to Buffy to see that she too was stunned. He looked closer at the plane tickets and felt like he'd been punched in the stomach when he saw the date. He wouldn't be going with her. "A Valentine's Vacation in Hawaii is something I know you two will remember forever," her mother gushed and instead of responding Buffy just walked forward and hugged her in thanks.

"Thank you Joyce," Angel said politely as he put the papers back in the envelope. "I don't know what to say," he said truthfully and Joyce waved her hand dismissively.

"If you keep making my daughter as happy as I've seen her these past few days, you don't have to say anything," she assured him and he glanced back at Buffy wondering if he really did make her happy.

"I'll clean up the wrapping paper," Buffy offered, both embarrassed and terrified by her mother's words. Angel did make her happy, she realized, but in a few days he'd be out of her life. With handfuls full of wrapping paper she walked into the kitchen wondering how she was going to get through the rest of the day. It was hard enough being the first Christmas without her father, and being forced to confront her growing feelings for Angel on top of that was almost unbearable. She couldn't just sit home with the two of them all day and night. In the past they had gone to a neighbor's house for some sort of Christmas party, but Buffy didn't know anybody here.

As she threw the wrapping paper in the trash she spotted something half buried under a newspaper. She pulled the glittery card out and realized it was an invitation. One of her mother's colleagues was having a Christmas party at her home and had invited her mother and according to the invitation anyone her mother wanted to bring. Well, that probably meant a date, but nobody would turn people away from their own party. Buffy grabbed the invitation knowing she was going to convince her mother to go to this party.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

"Buffy?" Angel called as he walked into their bedroom hoping to find her. They hadn't had a moment to themselves all day, but he knew she was upset about something. He needed to make sure she was okay.

"Angel?" Buffy responded as she walked out of the adjoining bathroom. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him when he saw her. She was wearing a red dress that ended just above the knee and he was pretty sure the silver heels she was wearing added about six inches to her legs. God, she was gorgeous, he thought before he was distracted by the look on her face. She was still upset.

"Are you okay?" he asked her and she forced a smile and nodded.

"We have to get going," she told him and she began to walk past him towards the door, but he stopped her with an arm around her waist.

"Buffy," he said again and he could see her losing the battle not to cry. "What's wrong?" he questioned and she hesitantly turned back to face him. "Is it your dad?" he wondered when she didn't offer any explanation.

"Some of it, but not really," she shrugged knowing that wasn't what was upsetting her the most. She had anticipated missing her father, but she hadn't anticipated her conflicting feelings for Angel.

"Then what is it?" he questioned gently and she let out a sigh as their eyes met.

"Us," she told him and his breath caught in his throat. Did she- "I feel guilty for lying to my mom," she explained and he nodded cursing himself for assuming she was feeling the same way he was. It was just wishful thinking on his part.

"I know," he agreed as his hands came up to rest on either side of her face. "So do I," he admitted honestly. "You guys make me feel like a part of the family," he said and he heard Buffy's breath hitch.

"It feels like you're part of the family," she responded and he looked down at her tiny hands resting on his chest. "And I know you're doing me a favor so I don't want to make you feel guilty too," she began but Angel quickly shook his head to stop her.

"No Buffy," he said firmly. "We may be at your mother's house, but you're the one doing me a favor," he told her softly. "This past week has been the best week of my life," he said and she could see the honesty in his eyes. "I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you this Christmas," he told her and he saw a few tears fall from her eyes. He instinctively wiped them away and took a half step closer to her.

"I wouldn't have gotten through this without you," she whispered finding it more and more difficult to keep her emotions under control. "I don't think my mom would have either," she added and when he felt the sting of tears in his own eyes he rested his forehead against hers.

"Don't cry," he pleaded as their eyes fell shut. "Please don't cry," he breathed out on a whisper. Her hands slid up around his neck to hold him closer, but he still felt tears streaming down her cheeks. "I hate it when I see you crying," he told her as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "It kills me," he admitted while placing butterfly kisses all over her cheeks and eyelids.

"Angel," she whispered when his lips were only millimeters from hers. He felt her breath against his mouth and he couldn't hold back anymore. He leaned down and captured her lips in a soft, sweet kiss. God, he had needed this, he realized as his mouth met hers. He needed to kiss her when they were the only ones in the room. This was a real kiss…and it was making his heart nearly pound out of his chest.

This was intimate and emotional, and she reveled in the feeling of his lips against hers. It was just the two of them, and she found herself wanting to get even closer to him than she was already. They shouldn't do this, she knew that, but she wanted to. Oh, she wanted this, and needed this, more than anything.

The kiss was short, and when their lips separated their eyes locked for a moment. Neither of them was sure where they should go from here. Angel couldn't help but wonder if she had needed comfort and he was just…there. At the thought he stepped back slightly and Buffy finally broke their stare unable to look into those dark eyes for a moment longer.

"We should leave," Buffy said as they both dropped their hands to their sides. "We don't want to be late."

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"This is my daughter Buffy and her fiancé Angel," Joyce introduced them later at the party. "And this is Jenny. We work together," she told them and the three of them politely shook hands.

"So fiancé, huh?" Jenny asked with a smile and Angel stood with his hand on the small of Buffy's back. It was crowded in the house and in his mind that was a good enough excuse to touch her. "How long have you two been engaged?"

"Just a few weeks," Buffy answered ambiguously and Joyce grinned at Jenny's expression.

"How exciting," she gushed placing a hand on her stomach, and that was when Buffy noticed that she looked to be pregnant. "I remember my engagement-" she was cut off by someone yelling for her and she turned back to them in apology. "Excuse me, that's Rich Wilkins our boss over there. Joyce, do you want to come with me? I don't blame you if you want to avoid him," she joked but Joyce shook her head.

"No, I'll come with," she laughed. "I'd rather run into him with you than alone," she pointed out and the two of them went off leaving Buffy and Angel alone.

"Do you know any of these people?" Angel questioned as his eyes surveyed the room and Buffy shook her head.

"No, but it's good for my mom to get out. Knowing her she hardly ever talks to these people outside of work," she replied and Angel nodded before glancing to the bar.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked and Buffy nodded gratefully.

"Anything," she assured him and he turned and headed towards the bar. When he had to wait in a short line, a slightly older man in front of him turned to face him.

"You and your girlfriend are just lovely," he said in a British accent and Angel glanced back towards Buffy and shook his head.

"She's my fiancée, actually," he corrected and the man smiled even wider.

"Even better," the man grinned and Angel's eyes darted back towards Buffy again to see she was now talking to Jenny. "Her name is Buffy, correct?" he asked and Angel nodded surprised. "Yes I thought she looked familiar," he smiled. "I was her high school librarian," he revealed and a smile consumed Angel's face.

"Then you know my sister, Cordelia Chase," he responded and the man couldn't hide his eyes widening slightly in reaction to the name. "She's grown up a lot since high school, I promise," Angel assured him good naturedly having gotten used to that reaction when he told people about Cordelia.

"Oh yes of course," the man rushed to say as he reached the bar. While pouring his drink he glanced over at Buffy. "It makes me feel old when my old students are getting married," he sighed and Angel chuckled.

"Well, then I hate to break it to you, but Cordy's getting married too," Angel told him and the man shook his head before stepping aside to allow Angel room at the bar. As Angel prepared his and Buffy's drinks, he considered the man next to him and wondered how he'd ended up in LA. "Why don't you come say hi to Buffy," he suggested. "I'm sure she'd like to see you," Angel said and the man blushed slightly before nodding.

"Yes, that would be nice," he agreed as they headed towards Buffy. She spotted both of them and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the man next to Angel.

"Giles!" she exclaimed happily and she quickly wrapped him in a friendly hug. "Oh my God, what are you doing here?" she questioned and he chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"Well when I'd had enough of Snyder, I left Sunnydale and came here. And Buffy you always said I knew too much so I got a job at a museum," he explained as he set his drink down and took his glasses off. He began cleaning his glasses and Angel smiled at the sight before him. "I now realize that the Joyce Summers that works there must be your mother," he concluded and Buffy nodded in confirmation. "Are you in town for Christmas?" he asked and Buffy smiled.

"Yeah. Me and Angel," she said gesturing to Angel who had stepped next to her during her conversation with Giles.

"Excellent. How are Willow and Xander?" he wondered and Buffy laughed at the mention of her friends.

"They're good. Xander's still dating Anya," she told him and Giles shook his head.

"And is Anya still…" he trailed off trying to find the right word but Angel cut him off.

"Yes," he said leaving no room for doubt and Giles laughed at how emphatic Angel had been.

**I hope you liked it. And remember please leave a review as feedback for me!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, sorry for the wait between chapters. I had some trouble with this one. I had plans for them on Christmas and I have plans for New Years, but in between was a little tough. I knew this chapter would be tough before I even started the story, but I did it. **

**Also, a thanks to those of you who have read my story or favorite it/put it on alert. I really appreciate knowing people are enjoying it. ****So let me know what you think and where you think they'll end up from here. **

PART 7

"Buffy Mr. Giles said he would drop me off on his way home," Joyce told her and Buffy sighed. She felt guilty leaving her mother at the party she had practically dragged her to. "You're exhausted Honey," she said and Buffy nodded knowing her mother was right. She'd had an emotionally draining day and it was catching up with her.

"Okay. Thanks mom," she said as she hugged her quickly and left to find Angel. She found him only a few feet away watching her every move. "She told us to leave," she said quietly and Angel nodded as he held her coat out for her. She gave him a grateful smile as he helped her into it and led her to the door. They said their goodbyes on the way out, and were soon in the car.

The ride home was silent, neither of them sure what to say to each other after the events of the day. Angel wanted to reach for her hand, but after what had happened between them earlier she was acting closed off. She had barely spoken to him since he'd kissed her and nearly every time he'd touched her since she'd flinched. He hadn't realized how often he'd taken to touching her until she wasn't allowing him to do it anymore. She wasn't letting him put his arm around her or even give her a friendly kiss on the top of her head.

She had inadvertently started to shut him out. She couldn't let herself fall for him the way she was afraid she already had when she was going to have to say goodbye to him in a couple days. Every time he'd touched her tonight she had felt her heart break a little more when she remembered he was just acting.

When they pulled into the driveway she barely waited until he'd put the car in park before opening her door and getting out. She hurried inside ahead of him and he sighed to himself. He was losing her right before his eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

"I had such a wonderful Christmas Buffy," Joyce told her daughter the next morning during breakfast. Angel was still asleep, and Buffy had been so relieved not to have to talk to him that she didn't bother waking him.

"Me too mom," she smiled warmly as she poured more syrup onto her waffles.

"I have to say when you told me you were engaged I was happy for you, but I had my doubts," her mom said and Buffy looked up in surprise.

"You seemed thrilled," she replied in confusion. If her mother had had doubts why the hell had she bothered with a fake fiancé? Why had she bothered putting herself in this situation?

"I was just worried that I was rushing you into it," Joyce explained and Buffy sighed. "Or after everything that happened with Spike…" she admitted and Buffy avoided eye contact knowing that had been one of her reasons for dating Riley.

"So you have doubts?" Buffy asked her and Joyce chuckled lightly.

"Not anymore," she assured her and Buffy looked up at her mother. "Not after seeing you and Angel together," she said and Buffy nodded slightly and she felt the guilt beginning to consume her. "The way he looks at you, Buffy…" Joyce trailed off and Buffy froze. How did he look at her?

"What do you mean?" she couldn't help but ask and Joyce grinned at her daughter's question.

"He looks at you as if you're the only one in…forget in the room," she smiled before continuing. "He looks at you as if you're the only one in his world," she said quietly and Buffy couldn't hide the surprise from her face. "Don't look so shocked Buffy," her mother laughed as she took a sip of her coffee. "Only a man in love with you would be doing these things," she pointed out. "He's helped you pick out gifts for me, he's decorated my house," she added and Buffy smiled slightly at the memory. "And he put so much thought into the things he gave you," she reminded her and Buffy took a deep breath. "All he wants is for you to be happy," Joyce told Buffy, concerned when Buffy didn't look convinced. "Honey, he feels the same way about you as you do about him," she promised and Buffy forced a smile.

"Sometimes it's just a little overwhelming," she said truthfully. "It happened fast," she said and her mom nodded. "Really fast," she whispered as she thought about how less than a week ago she had still been engaged to Riley.

"When you know, you know," her mother said simply and Buffy went back to her waffles. Did she know? Did it even matter or was Angel just a convincing actor?

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"Buffy," Angel groaned as her nails dug into the skin of his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body flush against his. She let out a soft moan when her bare breasts came into contact with his skin.

"I need you, Angel," she pleaded and he rolled them over so she was squirming underneath him. He slowly ran his hands down her body and she shivered slightly under his touch. He bent down to capture her lips in his and she kissed him back fiercely. Her tongue pushed its way into his mouth as her fingers tugged insistently at his thick hair. When he broke the kiss she whimpered in protest, but gasped and arched into him when his lips met her neck. He licked and kissed his way down her chest while holding her hips still beneath him.

He heard her breath hitch as his lips neared her breasts and her hand buried itself in his hair, unconsciously massaging his scalp. He glanced up at her face and when he saw the desperation in her eyes he leaned down and lightly licked one nipple. Her body quivered in response to his touch and she moaned softly as his hand gently cupped her breast. Unable to wait any longer, he kissed his way around her it before sucking her nipple into his mouth.

"Angel?" she asked, but he didn't remove his lips from her skin. He couldn't get enough of her. "Angel!" she called louder and he looked up in confusion. "Angel!" she called again and this time when his eyes focused she wasn't lying underneath him. She was standing in the doorway and he was lying on the floor of their bedroom.

Fuck, had that all been a dream? An extremely vivid and erotic dream that had left him hard and aching? He struggled to catch his breath and pulled his legs closer to his chest to hide the evidence of his dream. Judging by her reaction to his kiss last night she probably wouldn't be very receptive to participating in making that dream a reality. He sighed out loud and she looked at him.

"It's almost noon," she told him and he sat up slightly. "My mom thought you should get up," she said and without another word she left and shut the door behind her. He wasn't all that surprised he'd slept until noon since he had been up past dawn. He hadn't been able to get his mind off of Buffy and the kiss they had shared. But mostly his thoughts had been centered on how he was going to move on after this was all over since she seemed determined to ignore what was so obviously between them. How was he supposed to get over her?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

Buffy had insisted on a girls' day with her mom so they went to the mall with the gifts they had to return and all the gift certificates they'd gotten. Joyce had been confused about why Angel wasn't coming, but when Buffy looked at her sadly and begged for a mother-daughter day Joyce couldn't refuse. So Buffy dragged her out the door less than an hour after Angel had woken up.

He grabbed his cell phone and dialed Cordelia's number expecting to get her voicemail. He usually called on Christmas, but Doyle had asked him not to this year. He didn't know when he'd be proposing and he didn't want anything to ruin a moment. The phone rang only once before Cordelia's shrill voice surprised Angel.

"You knew?" she shrieked and Angel laughed out loud having expected such a reaction from her. "Obviously you knew. You got the picture frame!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. "I was in my pajamas when Doyle asked me and definitely NOT glamorous!"

"Cordy I'm sure Doyle didn't care that you were in your pajamas," he assured her, feeling better hearing from Cordelia. He could tell she was happy despite her complaints.

"He didn't, but I did," she huffed and he could hear Doyle in the background yelling that she was beautiful. "Now I understand why you were so insistent we come on this trip. How's Buffy?" she asked and the smile fell off Angel's face as his mind was brought back to Buffy.

"She's good," he lied but even as he said the words he knew Cordelia wouldn't believe them.

"Angel," she scolded and he sighed.

"I don't know Cordy," he admitted feeling helpless to change his situation. "Things were perfect and then yesterday, just…I don't know," he finished unsure of what to say.

"Didn't she like her present?" she asked and he smiled as his mind traveled back to the look on her face when she'd opened the necklace.

"She loved them," he responded. "All of them. She-"

"All of them?" she interrupted and he rolled his eyes. She always picked up on the littlest things. "How many did you get her?" she wanted to know and he considered lying but knew she would know immediately.

"Just three," he told her but he could hear the smile in her voice when she replied.

"What did you get her?" she asked and he knew there would be no stopping her now until she got the truth.

"Slippers," he answered knowing that gift wouldn't rouse any reaction from his sister. "A necklace, and we went to Disneyland on Christmas Eve and I got her some earrings there," he stated simply as he purposely left out some details.

"And what did she get you?" she asked him and his eyes fell to the sketch pad still sitting on the coffee table in front of him.

"Cordy she got me a sketch pad and drawing materials," he told her and he was pretty sure he heard a quiet 'aw' on the other end of the phone. "And tickets to a hockey game."

"Marry this girl," she demanded and he chuckled at her reaction. "I'm serious Angel," she said and he fell silent as he realized she was in fact dead serious. "She knows you so well after just a few days," she said and he sighed since he had been having the same thoughts himself. "And I can tell how much you care about her," she told him and he didn't reply. "Where is she anyways? Why are you on the phone with me when you could be with her?" she asked and he would have laughed at Cordy if Buffy hadn't practically run out the door to avoid him.

"Her and her mom wanted to have a girls' day so they're shopping," he explained and even as he said the words he knew how lame they sounded. His new fiancée leaving him alone in her mother's house? Weird.

"A girls' day?" she questioned. "And they just left you there?" she accused and he immediately felt the need to defend Buffy.

"Cordy, this is their first Christmas without her dad," he said softly remembering how sad Buffy had looked at times yesterday.

"What do you mean?" she asked having only seen Buffy that one time since high school.

"He had a heart attack earlier this year," he answered and he heard her sharp intake of breath.

"Oh God, I didn't know," she said immediately feeling guilty.

"It's fine Cordy," he assured her.

"How is she?" she wanted to know and that was when Angel sighed again.

"I have no idea," he muttered as he rested his head against the back of the couch. "Something happened yesterday and she isn't talking to me anymore. I don't know what to do," he admitted and Cordelia felt her heart go out to him.

"Well Angel, it has to be hard without her dad," she said gently and he nodded even though she couldn't see him. "And that probably makes anything else going on harder for her to deal with," she pointed out and he desperately hoped she was right and that was all this was.

"I don't know Cordy," he whispered. "I should let you get back to Doyle. I just wanted to say I hope you had a merry Christmas," he told her finding himself tired of discussing his situation with Buffy. Cordelia seemed to sense this and she agreed.

"Alright, thanks Angel. And merry Christmas," she said.

"Hey Cordy?" he called right before she hung up. "Congratulations," he added with a smile but hung up before she could reply.

He set his phone down on the coffee table and he saw the sketch pad again. His fingers were practically itching to draw something. He felt emotionally overwhelmed, and the only outlet he knew was through his art. He debated briefly about whether or not he should use Buffy's gift. Was she expecting him to give it back so she could return it and get her money back? Screw it, he thought as he grabbed the sketch pad and a pencil. If she wanted the money back he'd pay her himself.

Without thinking much about it, his hand flew across the paper quickly drawing the one thing he couldn't get off his mind. It was Buffy, that wasn't all that surprising, he admitted to himself. But he was slightly surprised that it was an image of her from the Bronze the very first night he'd seen her. He began to sketch her hair, his strokes soft as he recalled the way he'd wanted to tangle his fingers in it. She was so beautiful, he realized as her image began to take form on the paper. So beautiful, but she'd been so sad that night when she'd first captured his attention. He realized she had had that same heartbroken look on her face ever since last night, and he hated himself for being the cause of her pain.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Angel, thank you for letting Buffy and I spend the day together," Joyce said as the two of them began preparing dinner later that day.

"Of course," he replied immediately even though Buffy hadn't exactly given him much of a choice. "I think she needed a mother-daughter day," he told her and as he said it he realized how true those words were. It may not have been Buffy's motivation for a girls' day, but she had needed one. And now he was glad she'd had one. Although if she'd just mentioned how much she wanted to spend time with her mother he would have been the first one to clear her schedule for her. "She's missed you," he told Joyce honestly and Joyce gave him a sad smile.

"I miss her every day," she sighed as she shook her head. "I'm so glad she has you now. I can see you take care of her. You make her happy," she said and Angel shrugged feeling slightly helpless.

"I try to," he agreed and Joyce chuckled slightly.

"You do, trust me," she assured him and when he looked up at her he saw only honesty in her eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen her so happy."

"Well, she makes me happy too," he said quietly knowing it was the truth. Even though he only had her in his life for a few more days, he knew it would likely be the best few days of his life. "I've never met anyone like her," he told Joyce who smiled inwardly at the young man who she was already looking at as her own son. "She's amazing," he sighed feeling as if he didn't express his feelings to someone he might explode. And besides, he figured, he was supposed to be convincing her mother he was madly in love with Buffy, so, why not tell her the truth?

"Well, I am inclined to agree with you," she laughed and he was smiling in spite of himself and his situation. He liked Joyce. She made him feel like he was part of a family again. She sort of reminded him of his own mother before their relationship had imploded. "So, what do you have planned for Buffy's birthday?" she asked and he focused his eyes intently on the vegetables he was chopping so she wouldn't notice the look of panic on his face. Her birthday? When the hell was her birthday? For all he knew it could be tomorrow.

"Um, nothing concrete yet, why?" he responded mentally praying that her birthday wasn't too soon.

"Well I know it's pretty short notice with it being only a few weeks away," Joyce said and Angel internally groaned. What kind of man didn't have plans for his fiancée's birthday when it was only a few weeks away? "But I was thinking of coming down there to surprise her," she whispered and Angel forced a smile to his face.

"I think she'd love that," he said sincerely even though he knew he wouldn't be there to see it. Buffy would kick him out of her life long before her birthday. She'd be crushing his heart right after New Year's, when Cordy got back, he was sure of it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy was repacking her suitcase so she would be ready to leave tomorrow. She had a tendency to fling her clothes all around the room regardless of how long she stayed there, so it had gotten fairly messy. As she continued working her way through various piles, she noticed Angel's sketch pad. He had moved it from the coffee table in the living room and now it was sitting open on the desk. A few of her t-shirts had been on top of it, but once she moved them she saw what he had drawn in it.

Her breath caught in her throat at the one and only thing he'd sketched inside. It was an image of her and from the background he had included she realized she was at the Bronze. The outfit he'd put her in told her it was the night they met and she sank onto the bed with the book open on her lap. It was a beautiful drawing. She'd only seen a few pieces of his work at his apartment, and she'd quickly fallen in love with each of them, but this was something else entirely. This spoke to her. He had drawn every detail on her face and she let out a soft sigh. Had she really looked that sad?

Suddenly she heard footsteps and she slapped the book shut and put it back where she had found it. Angel came in a moment later, the door having been left open by Buffy, and she could see that something had upset him.

"Angel, what-"

"When is your birthday?" he asked quietly and she looked at him blankly, utterly confused about why such a topic could spark such an emotional response from him. "Dammit Buffy, talk to me," he insisted as he let out a breath.

"January 19th," she finally answered and his eyes widened and he ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"And you didn't think to mention that?" he asked and she mentally sighed. No, she honestly hadn't thought to mention it although clearly she should have. "Your mom just stood down there for nearly fifteen minutes asking about what birthday plans I had for you," he revealed, purposely not telling her that Joyce was planning on visiting. It was supposed to be a surprise and no matter how upset with her he was he wasn't going to ruin that for Joyce or Buffy.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "I should have told you," she acknowledged and he avoided her gaze. "But I didn't think it would matter," she admitted and he shook his head.

"Oh it's gonna matter, trust me," he retorted as he pictured the look on Buffy's face when Joyce showed up at her door on her birthday. "What the hell are we going to do?" he asked and the sadness in his voice nearly broke her heart.

"About what?" she asked stupidly even though when their eyes met she immediately knew what he was referring to.

"Us, Buffy," he clarified and she sighed wondering what she was supposed to say.

"You don't have to worry about it, Angel," she assured him. "I'm the one that has to break my mother's heart and tell her that none of this was real," she nearly whispered as she felt her throat tighten with the threat of tears. "So until New Year's we just keep doing what we've been doing," she said simply. "We keep pretending we're together," she explained and when his eyes bore into hers she felt the need to add something. "When we're around people," she said and he gave a short, unexpressive nod before she walked past him and out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

During dinner Joyce had asked a lot of questions about Angel's art and Buffy was relieved that she didn't have to participate much in the conversation. But his answer about what inspired his art floored her. He'd told Joyce that he drew things that he thought were too beautiful to be forgotten. Did he really feel like she was too beautiful to be forgotten?

She rolled over in bed hoping to fall asleep, but her mind wouldn't slow down. Her heart was still conflicted, and she hadn't talked about it at all. All day she had wondered if faking an engagement had really been worth it. Her mom had told her she had been worried when she'd heard Buffy was engaged, so would Joyce have been okay if Buffy told her she'd broken it off? She'd considered coming clean right then, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She just couldn't disappoint her mom like that. Her mom had been through a terrible year, and she deserved to be happy even if it was only for a few days and caused by her daughter's fake engagement. But what would happen to her when she found out it was all a scam? Would she be able to handle the disappointment?

"Angel?" Buffy asked, her voice sounding fragile in the dark as he glanced towards the bed where he thought she'd already been asleep.

"Yeah?" he replied gently and she glanced over towards him, but was unable to make out his facial expression in the dark.

"Do you think my mom will be okay?" she wondered and his chest tightened at how small and lost she sounded.

"Your mom's strong, Buffy," he assured her truthfully. "She moved out here alone and made a life for herself," he pointed out. "Not a lot of people can do that."

"I couldn't," she muttered under her breath and he sat up slightly to get a better look at her.

"Hey," he cut her off and he saw her discreetly wipe away a few tears. "You didn't need to make a new life," he told her. "You had friends, school, and-"

"And nothing, Angel," she cut him off bitterly. "I had an ex-boyfriend who was practically stalking me and a new boyfriend who turned into the biggest mistake of my life," she summarized angrily but he could hear the underlying sadness in her voice.

"Stop it, Buffy," he said feeling himself growing angry at how she seemed so insistent on beating herself up. "You've done nothing wrong," he told her but she remained silent and only shook her head. "Buffy," he breathed, unable to stop himself from reaching out and grabbing her hand on the side of the bed.

"Angel," she choked out and when she squeezed his hand he couldn't hold back anymore. He stood up and climbed into bed with her. When he opened his arms she immediately went right into them, resting her head on his chest seeking the comfort that only he could provide.

"It's going to be okay, Buffy," he promised as his hands ran soothing up and down her back. "Your mom's going to be okay. You're going to be okay. Everything will be okay," he repeated as he felt her relaxing against him.

"I worry about my mom. I miss my dad…" she trailed off and he placed a kiss on the top of her head. His eyes fell shut, overwhelmed at the emotions he could hear coming from her voice. "I don't know what to do anymore," she admitted helplessly and his heart clenched in his chest. He just wanted to help her, but he didn't know how.

"We'll figure it out," he whispered as he hugged her tightly. She didn't say anything else, but she shifted against him and he loosened his arms thinking she was trying to move away. Instead she only cuddled further into him until her head lay on his shoulder. One of her tiny hands was placed on his chest and he could feel her soft breath against his neck. He took a deep breath and rested his head against hers, reveling in how it felt to hold her in his arms.

He glanced down as his hands settled on her waist and he noticed her pajamas tonight were more conservative than the night before. Not much…he admitted to himself as he saw the length of her legs exposed by the short shorts she was wearing. But at least the tank top had been replaced by a shirt with sleeves.

He heard her take a shuddering breath and he knew she was still struggling to control her own emotions. Her fingers on the hand on his chest curled into his shirt, clutching it as he felt a few tears leak onto the skin of his neck.

"It's going to be okay," he murmured into her hair hugging her even tighter to his body as he felt her nod slightly against him. His fingers had been unconsciously caressing her, and he didn't move them when the slid under the hem of her shirt to make contact with her skin. As his fingers skimmed the skin of her lower back, he placed a loving kiss on her forehead. "I promise," he whispered as he felt her breathing slow down. It wasn't long until he felt the tension drain from her body and he knew she was asleep.

He didn't move. He didn't even entertain the thought of moving. Instead he felt his own eyelids growing heavy as he held Buffy in his arms and it wasn't long before sleep overtook him as well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

When Angel stirred awake the next morning he could hear Joyce moving around in the rest of the house, but he was in no hurry to move. Buffy was still wrapped in his arms, neither of them having moved much over the night. She was still sleeping peacefully, and Angel sighed knowing if he could wake up like this every day he would be a very happy man.

He didn't know if he should wake her up, wait until she woke up on her own, or just move her and get up himself. A part of him wanted to see how she reacted to their position. But what if she was disgusted? Or worse, angry that he took advantage of her emotional state? His heart clenched as he realized the possibility that she truly felt nothing for him. Maybe he didn't want to see her reaction.

Carefully he unwrapped his arms and gently rolled her onto her side. He stood up slowly, half of him hoping she would wake up and the other half praying that she slept through all of this. When he stood up and she only curled further into the pillows he knew she wouldn't be waking up any time soon. Instead of starting his day, he found himself staring, unable to take his eyes off her face. She was so damn beautiful…

He bent down next to her at the edge of the bed and softly brushed some hair off her face. As he tucked it behind her ear he felt his heart breaking when he realized this would be the last time he ever woke up to her. He'd grown very accustomed to having her there when he fell asleep and woke up in the morning, but once they got back to Sunnydale that would all end. They would still pretend to date for a while, but they wouldn't be sharing a room-or even a house.

He reached down and pulled the blanket up to Buffy's shoulders knowing she liked to be under it no matter how hot it was. They hadn't used it last night, but he knew she would want it now that she was alone in the bed. As he pulled his hands away, he watched her snuggled down farther into the blanket it all hit him like a punch in the gut.

He was in love with her. He was so in love with her he couldn't even see himself without her anymore, he realized and he dropped his head to his hands wondering how he'd gotten himself into this position. He'd known he had feelings for her, strong feelings even, but he'd refused to admit that he loved her because he knew he would never recover if he lost her once he loved her.

But it was too late.

**So there you have it. Please leave a quick review and let me know your thoughts. **


	8. Chapter 8

**So here we go. Again, thanks for those of you who left a review. I appreciate it more than you know.  
**

PART 8

She'd hugged her mom goodbye and climbed into the car, never more reluctant to go back home in her life. She had become attached to her fantasy life with Angel and she wasn't sure she was willing to give that up quite yet.

Angel had been quiet while they left, still a little stunned from his revelation earlier that morning. He should have known that first night he saw her in the Bronze. She'd captivated him and changed his life before he'd even spoken to her.

Once they were on the highway he spared a glance in her direction and he was concerned when he saw how tired she looked. Was she not sleeping? She slept last night; he knew that, but what about before that? When she rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn he sighed knowing she had obviously been having trouble sleeping.

"Buffy, you can take a nap if you want," he said, his voice soft as she looked over at him, surprised he'd noticed her tired state. "I know the way back," he assured her with a small smile of encouragement.

"Thanks," Buffy replied quietly and he nodded, getting the feeling that she was thanking him for much more than suggesting she take a nap.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What are you doing tonight?" Buffy asked trying to mask the nervousness in her voice when he pulled into her driveway.

"Nothing," he responded knowing he'd be spending the evening alone in his apartment thinking about her. And maybe getting a little drunk while doing so. They got out of the car and walked around to the trunk.

"Well, I just thought I could buy you dinner," she offered and he reached into the trunk for her bags to hide the grin that was threatening to consume his face. At least he hadn't had to ask, he figured.

She hadn't been able to fathom going from living with him for the past few days to not knowing when she was seeing him again. As he silently got her two suitcases out of the car and closed the trunk, Buffy began to doubt herself. "I mean, I owe you a lot more than dinner, I know that," she rambled and he smiled softly as he picked up her bags.

"We can go to dinner under one condition," he told her and she looked up at him curiously. What was his condition? That they were strictly friends? That they not talk to each other again until New Year's? "I'm buying," he insisted surprising her, and when she opened her mouth to protest he shook his head. "Either I'm buying or we starve," he said firmly and when a wide smile spread across her face he couldn't stop one from spreading across his as well.

"Fine," she relented as he walked her to her front door. As she unlocked it and stepped inside he handed her both her suitcases. "But nowhere expensive," she told him and Angel playfully rolled his eyes before shrugging.

"I'll pick you up around seven?" he offered and it didn't escape Buffy that he hadn't agreed not to take her somewhere expensive.

"Seven's good," she agreed but before he could walk away she grabbed his arm to stop him. "But if you're going to ignore me and take me somewhere expensive at least tell me so I know what to wear," she told him and he laughed before walking closer to her and placing a kiss on her forehead. He froze for just a second, and when she didn't shy away from him his smile grew and he stepped back.

"I'll see you at seven," he said before he walked down her front steps and towards his car. He gave a short wave before he got in and drove off and Buffy took a deep breath. She shut her front door and carried her bags upstairs. She threw them in a corner and flopped onto her bed, her mind replaying the events of the holiday over and over.

God, she'd just said goodbye to him and she already wanted to see him again. Her room felt empty without him and she was already looking forward to dinner with him tonight. He was so sweet and his gifts had been more than generous. She bit her lip as she pictured his body…he certainly had that going for him. And he was thoughtful too, she added to her mental list. He was just so unlike anyone else she'd ever met, and it threw her for a loop.

He'd stolen a part of her heart over Christmas, and she wasn't confident she'd ever get it back. She couldn't decide if she should indulge over these next few days and spend all her time with him or start to distance herself. She was hoping to find a way not to get her heart broken come January 1st, but she knew it would kill her to walk away from him regardless of what they did until then.

She sighed before she heard a key in the lock downstairs and she flew off her bed. Willow was home and she could definitely use some girl talk with her best friend. She reached the last stair when Willow got inside and Willow grinned when she saw that Buffy was home. Rushing over to her best friend, Willow hugged her tightly before stepping back so they could talk.

"I missed you Buffy," Willow told her and Buffy smiled, relieved to be back with her best friend. She definitely didn't need to fake anything around her. "Thank you for the robe and slippers. They're so comfy," she gushed excitedly and Buffy laughed softly.

"I know," she agreed. "Angel got me the slippers too," she admitted with a slight blush to her cheeks. "He was with me when I bought yours," she explained and as memories of her time with Angel began to flood her mind the smile fell from her face.

"Buffy, what's wrong?" Willow asked in concern. "Did your mom not believe you?"

"No, she bought it," Buffy assured her immediately. "And I think I did too," she added in a voice barely above a whisper.

"What?" Willow wondered in confusion and Buffy sighed, frustrated by her own feelings.

"I'm falling for him, Will," Buffy revealed and Willow's eyes widened. "Well, by now I think I'm past falling. I fell. And hit the ground," she continued. "Hard."

"You have real feelings for him?" she clarified and Buffy nodded solemnly.

"Yeah," she laughed humorlessly. "It figures," she shook her head. "The only guy I ever really care about and I can only have him for two weeks."

"How does he feel?" Willow wanted to know and Buffy merely shrugged. She was so confused by her own feelings there was no way she would have been able to figure out Angel's. "Did he hit the ground too? Or is he falling? O-or on the ledge?" she pushed, but Buffy shook her head.

"I have no idea," she admitted. "He might have feelings for me…I don't know," she told her friend and Willow looked at her in concern. "I think he cares about me," she continued as she thought back to when he'd offered to bake cookies with her and decorate her mother's house. "But it might just be a friend thing for him," she sighed as she sunk onto the living room couch.

"Oh Buffy, you look miserable," Willow said sympathetically and Buffy merely nodded, indicating that she was in fact miserable. "You never looked so sad when you were with Riley," Willow realized and Buffy shook her head but dropped her unfocused eyes to the floor.

"I never felt this way with Riley," she whispered. "And it kills me to know Angel's just pretending," she said sadly and Willow looked at her with wide eyes.

"Do you still have to pretend?" she asked. "I mean, Christmas is over and your mom wouldn't know if you two stopped seeing each other," she pointed out and Buffy sighed.

"Angel's afraid if Cordelia finds out we're not together from one of her friends here, and she has plenty of them, that she'll come home from her trip early," she explained and Willow deflated as she realized that Buffy was going to have to fake faking her feelings for a few more days. "And he's probably right. Cordy isn't exactly known for minding her own business," she pointed out and Willow laughed lightly as she remembered some of the times they'd spent together in high school. "And after everything he did for me I owe him this," she said quietly and Willow nodded in understanding.

"When are you seeing him again?" she wanted to know and Buffy felt the butterflies in her stomach as she thought about her plans for that night.

"We're having dinner tonight," she told her and Willow looked over in surprise. "I don't know where he's taking me."

"That sounds like a date, Buffy," she replied but Buffy shook her head.

"I asked him," she admitted suddenly wishing she had just kept her mouth shut and never asked him in the first place.

"Then how do you not know where he's taking you?" Willow challenged and Buffy shrugged.

"He insisted on making it a surprise," she answered growing a little frustrated. "So I have NO idea what to wear."

"Buffy, I really think this is a date," Willow told her again growing excited for her friend, but Buffy shook her head defiantly. He did not feel that way about her. He couldn't. "Well, either way, you need to look fabulous. Show me everything you got for Christmas and we'll find you something to wear."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Angel began unpacking his suitcase after making a reservation for him and Buffy later that night. Tonight was the night he had to convince her they were good together. He couldn't go back to the way things had been before he'd met her. He'd been happy enough, but after spending time with her by his side, things were different now. He was different.

He loved her. He was ready to admit it to himself now, and he was looking forward to trying to show her that tonight. She had asked him, so maybe she was reluctant for things to go back to the way they had been too. He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay, so we can't go wrong with a little black dress, right?" Buffy asked nervously and Willow shook her head with a smile. "What do I wear with it though? How could he leave me in such a fashion lurch like this?" she whined as she zipped the dress up quickly.

"If it's fancy I'd say wear those red heels, you know the ones with the rhinestones?" Willow suggested and Buffy nodded as she pulled them from her closet. "But if it's just sort of fancy then probably those black flats," she told her and Buffy found those on her closet floor and set them next to the red ones on her bed.

"Well, which ones?" Buffy asked as she picked up one of each. "I don't know how fancy it is. What if he's going somewhere Cordelia suggested?" she pointed out. "Or what if we're going for fast food? Then I'm overdressed in just this dress!" she exclaimed but Willow shook her head. She suspected Angel was thinking of this as a date and assumed he would be taking her somewhere fairly nice.

"You'll need the dress," she assured her. "What if you wore the red ones and put the black ones in your purse?" she offered and Buffy snorted.

"Sure. When we pull up to the restaurant I'll just unpack my purse, sit on the sidewalk, and hope I don't flash the entire street as I try to change my heels!" she retorted and Willow sighed knowing she had a point. "And I don't have a purse big enough to hold those red heels if I have to change," she pointed out. "And we haven't even started on jewelry. For all I know I need diamonds which I don't even own so…"

"Okay, here's what we'll do," Willow said as an idea struck her. "I'll answer the door when Angel gets here. I'll see what he's wearing, come up here and tell you what shoes, jewelry, and purse you need, and you can just grab them then," she told her and Buffy considered it for a moment.

"You know, only a guy that could look good in anything would think surprising someone is a good idea."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

When the doorbell rang, Buffy literally shoved Willow out of her room so she could answer the door. She hurried downstairs and opened the front door to see Angel in a suit. Then she noticed the flowers in his hand and smiled to herself. He SO wanted this to be a date.

"Hi Willow," Angel greeted with a smile which Willow returned.

"Come in, Angel," Willow said as she stepped aside to let him in. "I'll just go let Buffy know you're here," she told him while shutting the door. He nodded and she rushed back up the stairs towards Buffy's room. Hearing her footsteps, Buffy opened the door and ushered her inside.

"What's he wearing?" Buffy demanded and Willow grinned at her friend. She had never seen her like this before.

"A suit," she answered and Buffy let out a strangled sigh before sitting on the bed and putting on the red heels. "Do you have your jewelry picked out?" she wanted to know and Buffy shrugged.

"If he's wearing a suit I don't think I have anything nice enough to-" she stopped abruptly and flew to her suitcase.

"Buffy, what are you doing?" Willow questioned and Buffy only shook her head as she dug through her bag. She finally found the box she was looking for and pulled it out triumphantly. As she opened it and held it out to Willow, the redhead's eyes widened in shock. "Who gave you that?" she nearly shrieked as she looked at the diamond cross necklace.

"Angel," Buffy replied softly as she took it from the box. "Now hurry up and help me put it on," she told her friend who quickly sprang into action.

In seconds they had the necklace on, switched Buffy's purse, and touched up her hair. As soon as they were finished, Willow steered Buffy out of her room and grinned as Buffy slowly walked down the stairs. Willow stood behind her, purposely waiting to see Angel's reaction.

"Sorry you had to wait, but it's your fault," she told him, not noticing the way he was staring at her as she made her way down the steps. "You wouldn't tell me what I needed to wear," she smirked and when she was right in front of him Angel took a deep breath hoping to be able to control his emotions for her.

"You look gorgeous," he assured her, his voice a bit lower than normal as Buffy blushed slightly. "These are for you," he said holding the flowers out to her. When she smiled widely he knew he'd made the right call bringing her flowers this time.

"Thank you. They're beautiful," she replied sincerely as she walked towards the kitchen, unaware that Willow was already hurrying downstairs. "I'll just put them in water and-"

"I can do that, Buffy," Willow promised as she took them out of her hands. "Don't worry about it," she said giving her friend a knowing smile. "You two lovebirds get going," she teased and both of them blushed thinking that Willow was giving away their unrequited feelings.

As the two of them left the house, Willow pulled out her cell phone and dialed quickly. She was relieved when the person picked up immediately.

"Oz, you'll NEVER believe what just happened with Buffy and Angel!"

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"I specifically told you nowhere fancy," Buffy scolded with a smile as soon as the hostess left them with their menus.

"I thought I made it perfectly clear that I was ignoring you," he retorted with a raised eyebrow. "Now stop worrying."

"I already owe you too much," she protested and he sighed. "This is too expensive Angel. I don't want you to-"

"Just let me take you out to dinner, okay?" he nearly begged as he began to get a sinking feeling. There was only one reason he could think of for why she would be pushing this issue. She didn't want to lead him on. His eyes fell and he pretended to concentrate on his menu, but his mind was still overanalyzing every action of Buffy's.

"You've done too much for me, Angel," she told him softly and he looked up. "More than you probably even realize," she added and his heart melted at her words.

"Buffy, I promise you, you've done just as much for me, if not more," he said in a voice barely above a whisper as he reached across the table to grab her hand.

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"I feel bad not finishing this cake because it's so good, but I just can't," Buffy exclaimed with a laugh as she set her fork down.

"I wouldn't expect you to," Angel chuckled as he eyed the cake on her plate. "That cake was practically bigger than you," he teased having already learned she got indignant about her size. Sure enough, he heard her scoff at his comment.

"Well, it was really big!" she insisted and he smiled widely as he waved the waiter over to give him his credit card. "It was good though," she relented as she licked a bit of frosting off her index finger.

"I bet," he murmured, his eyes locked on her tongue. It had been such an innocuous gesture, but the thoughts it stirred in him…

"You want to try some?" she offered and he was only able to nod. Without thinking he grabbed her fork and took a bite of the cake, not surprised when it was delicious.

"You're right, that is good," he agreed with a half-smile, but Buffy had fallen silent. He'd just used her fork, she realized. Did friends do that? She suddenly couldn't remember.

"Here you go, Sir," the waiter said as he returned with Angel's credit card. With a smile Angel signed the receipt and they both stood up to go. He thought dinner had gone well. Conversation had flowed easily, and for the first time in a long time, he felt like himself. He didn't know what his next move would be, but he did know he'd be finding a way to see her tomorrow.

He led her out of the restaurant with a hand on the small of her back, smiling inwardly when she stepped closer to him. When they stepped outside, someone on the sidewalk caught his eye and he slowed down to get a better look. It couldn't be…

"Angel?" he heard her voice and when she took a few steps forward a wide smile graced his face as he saw how happy she was to see him.

"Fred," he replied as he immediately wrapped her in a warm hug. "What are you doing here?" he asked and Buffy was left feeling uncomfortable and more than a little jealous. If he was putting his hands all over other girls, he clearly didn't see this as a date.

"We just moved back to Sunnydale," Fred said in a cheerful voice as a taller man with glasses walked up behind her.

"Wes?" Angel exclaimed in surprise and the man chuckled slightly.

"In the flesh," he responded as the two shook hands before Angel pulled him into a hug as well. Okay, so maybe she'd overreacted, Buffy realized.

"Guys, this is Buffy," Angel said placing a hand on her back as he introduced her. "My girlfriend," he told them with a glance towards Buffy who smiled politely. "Buffy, this is Fred and Wesley," he said. "They were Kathy's best friends," he explained and he noticed the look of understanding on her face as she reached down and grabbed his hand.

"It's nice to meet you," Buffy greeted as she shook hands with Fred and Wes.

"Shall we all get a drink? Get to know each other?" Wesley suggested and Buffy was slightly surprised by his British accent. Angel glanced down at Buffy, and when she saw the happiness and excitement in his eyes over seeing these old friends she knew she would never say no.

"Sure," she agreed and Angel smiled gratefully. "Let's go."

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As the four of them sat in a booth at a restaurant that only served drinks this late, Buffy purposely sat too close to Angel. Her feelings for him had only grown throughout the night, and when she saw him having fun with his friends, she knew she was in trouble. She wanted him to be happy more than anything. She didn't care if she was miserable as long as he was happy. And that was when she knew. She knew she was in love with him.

"Buffy, how did you end up with Angel here?" Wesley asked as he took a sip of his scotch.

"Yeah," Fred jumped into the conversation. "As sweet as he is, he's not exactly Mr. Social," she giggled and Buffy smiled at how well Fred obviously knew Angel.

"We were at the Bronze, and he came up and talked to me," Buffy shrugged and Fred's eyes widened.

"He approached you?" Wesley clarified and Angel looked down at his drink, avoiding all eye contact knowing exactly what was coming. When Buffy nodded Wesley shook his head. "You must really be something, Buffy," he told her. "Angel never makes the first move."

"Really?" Buffy asked, her interest piqued and Angel drained his drink.

"So…" he trailed off knowing he needed to change the subject. "When did you two finally get your act together and start dating?" he wanted to know and Fred blushed a deep shade of red.

"How long have you known each other?" Buffy asked and Angel rolled his eyes.

"First grade for Kathy and Fred. Wes moved here during fifth grade," he replied glaring at Wes. "The three of them were inseparable."

"Fifth grade?" Buffy laughed, and she noticed Wes and Fred share a knowing look.

"We danced around each other for a long time," Wes admitted and Angel raised his eyebrow.

"You were in love with her since you were 10, but didn't ask her out until you were 17," Angel revealed but Buffy playfully slapped his arm.

"This is coming from the one who never makes the first move," she retorted and Angel glared at her to which she only laughed. "But what happened next?" Buffy asked, her attention switching back to Fred and Wes.

"I went back to England for college," Wes explained and Buffy nodded in understanding. "The distance was too much."

"When did you get back?" She wondered and Wes glanced briefly at Angel who gave him a slight nod.

"I came back for Kathy's funeral," he told her but didn't give her time to react before continuing. "When I saw Fred…I just didn't go back," he shrugged and Buffy smiled as Fred leaned into Wes slightly.

"We moved here because we wanted a smaller town, and to be near Cordelia," Fred said and Angel nodded. "We didn't know you were still here," she revealed and Angel nodded solemnly, knowing where she'd been getting her information.

"How is my mom?" Angel asked quietly and when Buffy grabbed his hand under the table he squeezed it gratefully.

"Better," Fred told him honestly and the table fell silent for a few moments before Fred spoke up again. "Angel, Wes and I never blamed you," she assured him and he nodded.

"I know," he responded. "I never thought you did. Now that you're here, is someone taking care of her?" he asked and Buffy felt her heart ache for him. His mother refused to speak to him, blaming him for something he'd had no control over, but here he was making sure she was okay.

"Yeah. Her neighbor and her have become close," Fred said. "We wouldn't have left otherwise," she said quietly and Angel nodded in relief.

"Well, I'm glad you're here," he told them and Fred and Wes both smiled.

"You are?" Fred asked happily, clearly a little surprised by this revelation.

"Of course I am Fred," Angel said with a slight chuckle. "You were like my baby sister. I taught you to swim, remember?" he teased and Fred blushed at the memory.

"I try not to," she admitted and Buffy couldn't help but be reminded of Willow.

"And you," Angel accused turning towards Wes. "Aside from all those nights I wanted to kill you when this one," he pointed to Fred, "was crying at my house over you…" he trailed off when Wes glanced apologetically over to Fred. "You were still a brother to me and to Kathy. And that's all that mattered."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A little while later while they continued talking and catching up over drinks, Fred excused herself to the bathroom. When she glanced towards Buffy, she stood up, understanding that was her cue to accompany Fred.

"We'll be back," Fred said to Wesley as she leaned down to give him a light kiss on the lips. Angel glanced towards Buffy trying to hide the hopeful desperation on his face. With a smile she leaned down and pressed her lips to his sweetly. His heart leapt when he felt her lips against his, and he knew he needed to be able to do this every day of his life. His hand came up to the back of her head, holding her there for a second longer before she pulled away. She gave him a shy smile before following Fred to the bathroom.

"So," Wesley said as soon as the two of them were alone. "How long have you and Buffy been together?" he asked and Angel hesitated, taking a sip of his drink before answering.

"A little over a week," he told him and Wesley merely nodded somehow not surprised by this.

"And how long have you known each other?" he questioned although he suspected he already knew the answer.

"About 18 hours longer than we've been together," he responded and Wesley nodded again.

"You told her about Kathy? And your mother?" he pressed and Angel sighed as he took another sip of his drink.

"Everything," he assured Wes. "And by the way, don't mention her parents," Angel warned, not wanting anything to ruin the good mood she was in.

"Why not?" he asked curiously even though he had no such intention. "Are they-"

"Her dad died a little less than a year ago," Angel cut him off and Wes nodded in understanding. "Christmas was really hard on her," he mumbled suddenly wondering why he'd brought this up. "I just don't want her to have to think about this tonight," he admitted with a shrug.

"You spent Christmas with her?" Wes smirked although Angel didn't notice his friend's expression because he was staring at the table.

"We went to see her mom," he told him and Wesley nodded knowing that Angel would probably feel more comfortable the less he had to speak.

"You're in love with her," he stated rather than asked and Angel ran a hand through his hair before nodding helplessly. "Good for you. From what I hear, she's quite a step up from Darla."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So Buffy, when did you meet Angel?" Fred asked as she fixed her hair in the bathroom mirror.

"Um, it was a little over a week ago now," she told her and Fred only grinned at her, their eyes meeting in the mirror.

"I don't think I've ever seen him so happy," Fred gushed. "Angel, Kathy, and Wes were the only friends I ever had when I grew up," she explained and Buffy found herself listening closely. "And he has never looked at anyone the way he looks at you."

"It's still new…" Buffy trailed off, unsure how to respond to that.

"It doesn't matter," Fred assured her. "Once Angel gets his heart involved in something, his whole heart is involved," she said turning to face Buffy. "And he has a big heart."

"I know," Buffy whispered desperately hoping that Fred was right.

**Please leave some feedback. I'd really like to know what you think.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, so I had some trouble with this chapter. I wrote it once, decided I hated it, and completely reworked the entire thing. Unfortunately, it slowed things down and I won't be able to have the New Year's Eve chapter up on or before New Year's Eve. I'm pretty upset about it, but I won't be able to do it. This chapter takes place on the 28th, so even if I took some fan fiction liberties and skipped some days I won't have it done. :( Sorry. I'll still do it, but it'll be late. **

PART 9

Angel woke up the next morning knowing it was now or never. He was going to talk to Buffy and tell her how he felt. He couldn't go on like this for another day. They had to get this out in the open, and if she didn't feel the same way, well then at least he'd tried.

Wes was right, Angel had realized last night. He never did make the first move. He'd never had to because the girls were always more than willing to pursue him. Until now he'd never met anyone worth making the first move for. But Buffy was different, and he already hated that it had taken him this long to realize it.

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Buffy woke up to an incessant pounding on the front door. She glanced at the clock to see it was past 10 in the morning and sighed knowing it wasn't impolite for a person to be here, but she still didn't want to get up. Cursing Willow for having stayed at Oz's last night, she got out of bed not bothering to change out of her pajamas. She trudged downstairs, and sighed as she saw who was outside her door. He was the last person she wanted to face, but she owed it to him to answer. Opening the door she tried to offer him a smile, but found it impossible.

"Hi Riley," she said and he nodded while stepping inside her house. "Why don't you come in?" she offered sarcastically but he didn't seem to notice her tone.

"Hi Buffy. This is for you," he told her holding out a small wrapped box. "It's a Christmas present. We were supposed to celebrate Christmas together, Buffy," he reminded her and she eyed the gift in his hands. He had never fought for anything while they were together. Why did he have to start now?

"Riley, I can't accept this," she replied pushing the gift back towards him. "We're over. I thought I made that clear," she said gently.

"Buffy," he nearly whined and she looked up at him knowing it was time to have the talk. She had to give her explanation so he could have some closure and move on.

"Alright, we'll have coffee and talk," she offered and he grinned, obviously thinking this was some sort of victory on his part.

A few minutes later they were seated in the kitchen, each with a steaming cup of coffee in front of them. Riley didn't like a lot of sugar in his and Buffy had found it impossible to resist purposely sneaking too much in. Hey, if he hated the coffee maybe he'd leave sooner.

"Is this about that Angel, guy?" Riley asked and Buffy could see he was trying very hard to be calm.

"No," she replied just as calmly. "I hadn't even met Angel when I ended things with you," she said truthfully and Riley sighed. If there was another guy at least he could fight for her. He'd still had a chance to get her back. "We just don't want the same things, Riley," she told him softly and he shook his head.

"If you don't want to live in Iowa we can talk about it," he assured her but Buffy just shook her head.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg. I want to work and have a chance to have a career," she informed him and she could see the slight annoyance on his face. "I don't want to take cooking classes and become some carbon copy of your mother!" she exclaimed and his face hardened.

"My mother-"

"Is lovely, yes," Buffy mollified as she patted his hand to calm him down. "But I don't want to be her. She's happy with that life. I wouldn't be."

"I don't understand," Riley shook his head and Buffy looked down at the table wondering how she had ever thought she could spend her life with him.

"You're a great guy Riley. You were wonderful and you loved me…" she trailed off relieved when he didn't interrupt her. "And you deserve someone who can love you just as much and who will be happy living the life you want for your future family. That's just not me," she explained and Riley took another sip of his coffee. Before he could reply there was another knock at the door, this one much more hesitant than Riley's had been.

"I'm popular today," Buffy joked as she stood up. "Excuse me," she said leaving the kitchen and heading towards the front door. She didn't look to see who it was because she was so flustered by the conversation she was having with Riley. As the door swung open, she was shocked to find Angel standing there, the look on his face a mix between excitement and panic.

"Buffy," he greeted with a small smile that Buffy immediately returned when she felt her heart start to beat a little faster. Everything else just seemed to fall away whenever she saw him.

"Angel," she replied, about to let him in when she heard Riley walk out from the kitchen.

"Buffy, how much sugar did you put in this coffee?" he asked and Buffy didn't miss the anger flash across Angel's face before he masked it expertly.

"Angel, it's not-" she turned to him desperately but he shook his head.

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Buffy," he replied, his voice low as he took in the scene in front of him. He definitely did not need her to explain why she was standing here, still in her pajamas, with Riley. The night after she'd been on a date with HIM.

"But-"

"It's fine," he spoke firmly, feeling as if she'd just ripped his heart out and fed it to Riley. That smug son of a bitch was smirking at him too. What the hell did she see in that guy? "Just…I'll see you on New Year's," he told her as he started to walk away. "That is if I'm still necessary," he added even as he saw the hurt his words had caused Buffy.

"Angel, wait!" Buffy exclaimed but he ignored her and walked to his car that was waiting in her driveway. "Angel," Buffy merely whispered as she watched him walk away. This was so not how things were supposed to go. She hadn't realized how much she'd been hoping they could make things work together until she'd seen how angry and hurt he'd been. She'd be surprised if he ever spoke to her again.

"Buffy," Riley began as Angel's car sped off down the street.

"Leave," she demanded as she turned back to him. He opened his mouth to protest, but she shook her head. "We're over Riley. Move on or don't, but leave me and Angel alone," she ordered as she pushed him out the door before the tears could fall.

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Riley? She was back with fucking Riley? He couldn't wrap his head around it and he threw his jacket on a nearby chair when he got back to his apartment. He should have expected this. Their entire fake engagement had just been one elaborate rebound for her. By this time next year she'd be married to Riley with a baby on the way. It had never mattered what he did, Angel realized. She'd wanted Riley all along. He certainly couldn't blame Riley for wanting her back. And he wasn't going to put up a fight either. She was Riley's. It was only fair.

When Buffy had tried to explain he'd felt his heart soar with the hope that he'd jumped to conclusions, but then when he saw the arrogant look on Riley's face he knew his first assumption had been right. And Buffy had just woken up and they were drinking coffee together. It didn't take a genius to figure out they'd spent the night together.

Angel had dropped her off fairly late last night too, he recalled. Their drinks with Fred and Wesley had taken a long time and by the time they got to Buffy's house it was nearly midnight. So that meant Riley came over after midnight. Nobody came over after midnight just to talk, he thought bitterly.

The part that cut him the deepest was that she had done nothing wrong. They had never agreed not to see other people during their fake relationship, and if Angel hadn't fallen so hard for Buffy he might be considering other options as well. But his eyes hadn't strayed from Buffy for a second since he'd met her. Clearly more than just Buffy's eyes strayed.

Angel's brooding session was interrupted when there was a knock on the door. He considered ignoring it, but felt compelled to answer it for a reason unbeknownst to even himself. When he saw Fred on the other side he was relieved he'd chosen to answer.

"Fred, what's wrong?" he asked in concern when he saw her tear stricken face. "Is it Wes?"

"Wes is fine," she assured him as Angel stepped aside to let her in. "It's um…I don't really know how to say this Angel," she admitted and she self-consciously wiped away a tear.

"Just say it, Fred," he encouraged gently, his mind finally off the blond he'd fallen for.

"It's your mom," she whispered reluctantly and he let out a breath at her information. "We got a call from the hospital," she explained and Angel's eyes darted immediately to hers. "She was hit by a car and she's pretty hurt," she told him and Angel shook his head not fully accepting what Fred was telling him. "I didn't know if I should tell you," Fred said but Angel's expression remained unchanged.

"It's fine, Fred," he replied quietly. "Do I…do I need to be up there?" he wanted to know and she knew what he was asking. Did he need to be there in case his mother died?

"They won't give me the information over the phone because I'm not family," she explained and Angel nodded in understanding. "Wes and I are leaving in a few hours if you want to come with us."

"I doubt she'd want me there," he sighed and Fred walked closer to him as she placed a hand on his forearm.

"Maybe it's time for you two to put everything behind you," she suggested and Angel shook his head.

"It's not me, Fred," he told her and she stared at the floor knowing he was right. "I'd be more than happy to have my mother back in my life," he stated in a quiet whisper and she nodded.

"I think you should come with us," Fred told him softly but he merely stared at the floor. "Wes and I are staying in a hotel. We can book a room for you and Buffy," she offered but Angel immediately shook his head.

"Buffy won't be coming," he told her and Fred looked at him in confusion.

"But Angel, she's your girlfriend," she responded tearfully as she worried Angel was pushing away those who were closest to him. "She would want to be there for you."

"Things are complicated," he said not willing to give her any more information.

"They shouldn't be. You love her and you're going to need her support," she insisted but Angel's hard glare silenced her.

"Things between Buffy and me have changed since last night," he said through a clenched jaw. "Just leave it alone, Fred."

"But Angel-"

"Go get ready to leave, Fred," he cut her off and she looked up at him desperately. She knew he was going to suffer through this alone. It was just such an Angel thing to do.

"Are you coming with us?" she wanted to know and he sighed.

"I don't know," he admitted and when she realized he wasn't saying anything more she left his apartment without another word.

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Fred hurried up Buffy's front steps, relieved they'd all shared a ride home last night so she knew where Buffy lived. Wesley had told her after they'd gotten home that Angel was in love with Buffy, and after watching them both last night Fred suspected Buffy felt the same way. She wasn't going to just sit back and watch her best friend, someone she'd always seen as her older brother, throw away the best thing that had ever happened to him. He'd always looked out for her. Now it was her turn to do the same for him.

Only a few seconds after knocking on the door, Buffy answered it and was clearly surprised when she saw Fred on the other side.

"Fred, hi," she said as she motioned for her to come in. "How are you?"

"Not very good actually," Fred replied and by the look on Buffy's face she could tell that the blond wasn't having a good day either. She hoped it had to do with whatever had upset Angel. If they were both upset… "Have you talked to Angel recently?" she asked and Buffy's eyes fell to the floor.

"Um, he stopped by this morning," she told her. "He-"

"You two haven't talked since then?" Fred questioned and when Buffy shook her head Fred let out a sad sigh.

"He needs you, Buffy," she said softly and Buffy looked up in surprise. "Something happened earlier…" she trailed off but now Buffy wouldn't let the subject drop.

"What happened?" she demanded taking a small step closer to Fred. "Is he okay?" she wanted to know and Fred felt a few tears welling up in her eyes as the situation hit her. She'd always been close to Mrs. O'Connor, but she still had to hold it together for Angel. "Fred, what happened?"

"It's Angel's mom," Fred finally spoke up and Buffy let out a sharp breath. "She was hit by a car this morning," Fred whispered as she wiped a few tears off her cheeks. "We don't really know anything yet. I think she's still in surgery. Wesley and I are driving up there soon, but Angel can't decide if he'll come with us," she rambled and Buffy nodded as she understood the gravity of the situation.

"Okay," she said knowing she needed to be the one in control. "Fred, go home and you and Wes just leave whenever you need to. I'll get Angel there. I promise," she told her and Fred wrapped Buffy in a grateful hug. She was so relieved Angel had someone looking out for him.

"Thank you, Buffy," she said as she walked towards her door.

"Call me if you need anything," Buffy offered and Fred nodded as she walked back to her car. Once the front door was shut Buffy ran up the stairs and began packing her suitcase. She wanted to get to Angel as fast as she could, but once she got to him she didn't want to have to leave him.

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Angel walked to his door when he heard the knock on it. He knew that when he told Fred he wasn't going to go that she wouldn't understand. Wes was smart to send Fred. He knew how hard it was for Angel to deny a crying woman. But his mother wouldn't want to see him. Every time she did see him it only upset her, and that wouldn't be good for her right now. He opened the door, steeling himself for the pleas he knew would come from Fred. Instead, he felt his heart break a little bit more when he saw Buffy on the other side.

"This isn't a good time, Buffy," he told her as he started to close the door in her face. He couldn't deal with her right now.

"I know," she interrupted, surprising him when she stopped the door and pushed her way in, pulling a suitcase behind her. "Fred told me about your mom."

"She shouldn't have done that," Angel muttered as he shoved the door closed when he realized Buffy wasn't leaving any time soon.

"Well apparently she needed to since you weren't going to," she retorted and Angel glared at her, astounded that she had the audacity to be angry at him after everything that had happened.

"Don't turn this around on me, Buffy," he growled, his eyes dark with a different kind of intensity than Buffy was used to seeing from him.

"Angel, you never let me explain," she accused and he rolled his eyes.

"It was perfectly clear what was going on Buffy," he retorted unconsciously stepping closer to her. "And if that's what you want, then fine," he seethed as his jaw set tightly. "Go off with boy wonder and take your little cooking classes. Gotta make sure you fit in in Iowa, right?" he sneered and Buffy fought off the tears that formed from his words. He was upset, and she would let that go for now.

"It's not like that, Angel," she said, frustrated when her voice came out softer than she'd intended.

"Oh I'm sorry," he taunted and at the tone of his voice Buffy couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "Is he actually going to let you stay here and finish college? What a gentleman!" he exclaimed. "He's going to let you be an educated trophy wife," he spat out and he barely registered the tears now steadily streaming down her face. She'd hurt him this morning, and after the news of his mother's accident, he didn't have the control he normally had. He was going to hurt her as much as she'd hurt him. "What'd you do last night, Buffy?" he asked with a sardonic smirk. "Wait until I dropped you off, then call the one you really wanted to be with? Try to sneak him in for some fun between the sheets between meetings with me?" he accused, but before he could continue he felt a sharp sting on his cheek from where she'd slapped him.

"Dammit Angel, get yourself together," she whispered and he suddenly felt tears welling up in his eyes as the situation caught up with him. It didn't matter how much she'd hurt him. He never should have spoken to her like that.

"Buffy," he began, his voice hoarse as he started his apology but she shook her head.

"No, you don't get to talk anymore Angel," she told him and he immediately fell silent, his guilt and love for her taking over. "First of all, you jumped to conclusions," she said, her voice growing stronger as she started her speech. "Riley and I didn't do anything but talk. He came over this morning to fix things, but as you should already know, I'm not interested in that!" she exclaimed. "And if you had stuck around for longer than three seconds this morning I could have told you that," she pointed out and as her eyes bore into his it hit him.

She wasn't back with Riley. It was all a misunderstanding and he'd overreacted. When he saw Riley he felt a jealously like nothing he'd ever experienced before, and it had fucking terrified him. So he'd left.

"Now you need to go in your room, pack a bag, and then we're going to see your mother," she instructed but he fought off more tears and shook his head.

"I'm not going, Buffy," he told her and she looked at him with such sympathy he wanted to die right then and there.

"Angel, she's your mom," she whispered but Angel swallowed thickly and shook his head again.

"She won't want to see me," he replied and Buffy felt like she'd been punched in the stomach.

"What about Cordelia? Should we call her?" she wondered hoping a slight subject change would help.

"No," he answered clearly having thought about it himself. "She's not exactly on good terms with my mother either because she still talks to me," he explained sadly. "And I just…I don't want to ruin their vacation and she's not good in an emergency, so…" he trailed off unsure of what else to say.

"Okay," Buffy agreed immediately and she grabbed Angel's hand taking advantage of his distracted state and pulling him towards his bedroom. "You need to pack, Angel," she said gently and she grabbed the duffel bag she'd seen him take to her mother's and set it on the bed.

"Buffy, I-" he stopped abruptly as he felt more tears building. She hurried over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"It'll be okay, Angel," she whispered as he clung to her while burying his face in her hair. She could feel a few of his tears falling onto her skin so she led him towards the bed and sat down next to him. While their arms were still wrapped around each other Buffy moved one hand to wipe away his tears. "I'm going to help you pack. Then I'll drive you up there. We'll be there in a few hours," she told him softly and when he held her more tightly she knew he was agreeing. "Whatever happens Angel, you need to be there," she whispered and he nodded slightly.

"Okay," he said and when he pulled away and started throwing clothes into a bag she knew he had turned a corner emotionally.

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"Buffy," Angel began as he watched the scenery fly by them in the car. "Maybe I should have driven," he mumbled and Buffy glanced at him quickly.

"I'm not THAT bad of a driver," she replied even as a horn blared around her. Angel shot her a pointed look and she shrugged with an innocent smile and he chuckled. "We'll be there in about an hour," she told him and he nodded. "Do you want to call Fred? Or maybe the hospital?" she suggested but he shook his head. He wasn't one for words. He'd rather just get there and deal with it in person.

They fell back into the silence that had consumed the previous three hours of the ride, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Buffy knew Angel was processing a lot and Angel appreciated that Buffy was allowing him this time to himself. He knew she didn't have to come with him, and he'd fallen in love with her all over again at his apartment when she'd taken control when he couldn't. She was doing so much for him, and only a few hours ago he'd been convinced she was only using him.

"Buffy, I'm sorry," he breathed out breaking the silence. She looked over at him in confusion and he sighed. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that," he continued and she shook her head dismissing him immediately.

"You didn't know," she told him.

"I'm still sorry," he responded and she gave him a small smile to let him know he was forgiven.

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Buffy held onto his arm as they walked into the hospital, and she fought off the sick feeling she got as soon as she entered. She hated hospitals. She hadn't been to one since her father had died, and it was affecting her more than she'd thought it would. The smells and the sounds…it was all hitting her at once. She tried to hide it, but when Angel glanced down at her she knew she hadn't done a good job.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern and she nodded quickly. When he didn't look convinced she took a deep breath, regretting it immediately as the stench of the hospital washed over her again.

"I just…don't like hospitals," she explained and he searched her eyes, growing more and more worried by what he saw there.

"Maybe you should go to the hotel," he suggested even though he wanted her with him. If she hated hospitals he didn't want her to be uncomfortable.

"No Angel," she refused immediately shaking her head. "I'm staying with you," she insisted and he nodded half relieved she'd be with him, half worried about her. "Let's go find Fred and Wes," she said pulling him towards the waiting room where Wesley was sitting impatiently in an orange chair.

"Wes," Angel called out and the British man stood up to greet them.

"Angel," he greeted in a tired voice. "I'm glad you're here. Fred just went to look for the doctor," he explained and as the words left his mouth Fred returned with a doctor.

"Angel, you're here," Fred said happily and he nodded at her, noticing the grateful look she shot towards Buffy.

"You're all here for Victoria O'Connor?" the doctor asked and when the four of them nodded he took a deep breath before checking the chart in his hands. "She'd been hit by a car while walking to the store," he began and Buffy reached down and grabbed Angel's hand for support. "She was at a crosswalk and the car tried to stop, but…anyways, she's almost finished in surgery. She won't be awake for a while, probably not until tomorrow, but you'll be allowed to see her tonight," he told them and Angel felt a terrible sense of déjà vu. He'd barely heard the doctor's words and instead remembered standing there with his mother as the doctors told him his baby sister was dead.

"What was the extent of her injuries, Doctor?" Wesley asked and the doctor sighed.

"She has a broken leg and a broken wrist, but they've been set and will heal," he explained and Buffy ran her free hand up and down Angel's forearm. She could feel him starting to drift off mentally and she was worried about him. "She's in surgery now to repair damage to internal organs. I'm sorry, but at this time I don't have any more information," he said and when Wesley nodded the doctor turned and walked away.

Fred turned to Wesley for comfort and Angel sank into a chair with Buffy right next to him. He squeezed her hand tightly, hardly aware of his own actions. It sounded like his mom was going to make it.

"Maybe I should leave," Angel whispered to Buffy who quickly let go of his hand to place her hand on his cheek.

"No," she spoke firmly and when Angel turned to face her he saw determination in her eyes. "You're going to stay here until your mom wakes up. I don't care if she wants you here. You need to be here for you," she insisted and he could hear the tears in her voice. He nodded and when she let out a sigh of relief he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Buffy," he whispered and instead of replying she placed a kiss on the side of his neck. "I'm glad you're here."

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Angel and Buffy walked into his mother's hospital room hand in hand, and Angel choked up when his eyes fell to his mother. He hadn't seen her in over a year and now she looked terrible. He wasn't sure why he was surprised. She got hit by a freaking car, but knowing and seeing were two different things. She had casts and bruises everywhere and Buffy gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He turned to her and when she gave him a slight nod he let go of her hand and walked to the side of his mom's bed.

He tentatively reached out and grabbed her hand, being careful of the IV, as he sat in the chair next to the bed. He stared at her face for a moment trying to convince himself it was a good idea he was here. If she woke up and hated him…what if it upset her so much something happened and she got worse?

"Hi mom," he whispered hoping this wasn't the last chance he had to talk to her. She might refuse to see him once she woke up. "You refused to drive after Kathy's accident so you wouldn't get into a car accident, remember?" he laughed humorlessly at the irony and shook his head as he felt a few tears sting his eyes. "I don't know if you'll want to see me mom," he began and he was so focused on his mother he didn't notice when Buffy wiped away the tears that had fallen from her eyes. "But I needed to see you. I hope you'll talk to me tomorrow," he said softly and Buffy was surprised he'd admitted such a thing out loud. "I miss you. After losing Kathy and Dad it wasn't fair I lost you too," he breathed out and Buffy walked over and placed a comforting hand on his back. He stood up knowing if he stayed any longer he'd only feel worse. "I love you, mom," he whispered leaning forward to place a soft kiss on his mother's forehead.

It was time for them to leave the hospital for the night. There was nothing more for them to do there. When he turned around he saw that Buffy had been crying and he grabbed her hand as they left the room.

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Angel sat down on the bed in the hotel room wishing he'd thought to make his own reservation. Of course Fred would only get them one bed. She thought they were in a serious relationship. When Buffy came out of the bathroom she gave him a smile and started to open her mouth when Angel cut her off.

"I'll take the floor again," he offered but she immediately shook her head.

"The bed's big enough for both of us, Angel," she assured him and he swallowed thickly as he realized that was exactly the response he'd wanted from her. He merely nodded and slid back towards the pillows.

She crawled into bed next to him, and despite the large gap between them, Angel was pretty sure he was going to explode. He could smell her, and dammit she smelled amazing. He held back a groan as she pulled her hair out of her ponytail and let it fall around her shoulders.

"Goodnight, Angel," she said in a breathy voice, and as she reached down to pull the blanket over her Angel felt his body hardening all over.

"Goodnight," he forced out as he turned on his side so his back was to her. How was he supposed to share a bed with her?

**So I know that wasn't what most of you were hoping for in this chapter, but let me know what you think anyways. And hopefully you'll stick with this holiday story even though I'll be updating it after the holidays. Sorry about that again. I feel really bad.  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry it took a while to update. It's actually my birthday today, so I didn't have a lot of time to write. I'd really appreciate it if you could leave me a review as a birthday present!**

PART 10

Buffy woke up slightly dazed as the sunlight started to creep in through a crack in the shut blinds. She tried to shield her face from it, but when she turned she realized she'd moved in her sleep until her head was on Angel's chest. Letting out a soft sigh, she rubbed her cheek against his t-shirt wishing he hadn't worn one last night. He felt so good…

Angel stirred as he felt her movements and his arms tightened around her instinctively holding her in place. He was still half asleep and he buried his face in Buffy's hair. God, she smelled so good…

"Angel?" she murmured against his chest although her eyes didn't open when she spoke.

"Hmm?" he replied sleepily as his fingers caressed her back lightly.

"Do you want to get up? Go to the hospital?" she offered but he shook his head.

"Not yet," he whispered turning them both away from the sun as they drifted back off to sleep.

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Fred and Wesley had checked on Victoria around nine, but she still hadn't woken up. It was around eleven that morning when Buffy and Angel were on their way to the hospital. They spent a few minutes with Angel's mom, but Angel knew Buffy was uncomfortable being in the hospital. She was doing her best to hide it from him, but he saw her flinch every time a machine beeped irregularly and wince when she'd hear the doctors working loudly in another room.

"Let's get some lunch," Angel suggested and Buffy nodded as she left the room and walked towards the cafeteria. "No," he stopped her and she looked at him curiously. "Let's go out somewhere."

"Are you sure?" she asked and he gave her a small smile as he reached for her hand. "Don't you want to be here when your mom wakes up?" she double checked but he shrugged.

"I don't know if seeing me should be the first thing she does upon regaining consciousness anyways," he replied and Buffy looked up at him sympathetically. "Maybe Fred and Wes can give her some warning."

"I think she'll be happy to see you," Buffy said confidently and he smiled at her positivity as they walked outside. Her mood seemed to improve immediately upon getting out of the hospital and Angel knew he'd make the right call on taking her out to lunch.

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Victoria hadn't woken up yet, but the doctors assured them that was normal. It had been about 24 hours since she'd gotten out of surgery, and everyone reacted differently to the anesthesia. Fred, Wesley, Angel, and Buffy all took turns sitting with her, although Angel was clearly uncomfortable. He still wasn't sure he wanted to be the one there when she did wake up.

Around ten that night Angel and Buffy decided to go back to the hotel. It didn't look like Victoria would be waking up, and until her doctor got back the next morning they wouldn't hear anything different. Buffy could see all the time spent at the hospital was starting to get to Angel, and with her dislike of hospitals she was more than ready to leave when Angel suggested it.

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"Can we watch a movie or something?" Angel asked and Buffy glanced over at him surprised. He'd been pretty quiet the whole drive to the hotel and she was sure he was worrying about his mother so she had assumed he'd be spending his time brooding. She'd quickly learned he liked to brood.

"Sure," she agreed and he nodded as he undid the bed and climbed in. As soon as Buffy finished brushing her hair she crawled into bed next to him and he handed her the remote. Forcing herself not to rethink it, Buffy slid over until she rested against Angel's side. Angel grinned as he realized what she'd done and he didn't hesitate to wrap his arm around her shoulders pulling her closer. She called up the movie menu on the TV and they began to scroll through them together. "What do you want to order?"

"Anything," he told her honestly. With her so close he was pretty confident he'd be too distracted to see much of it anyways.

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Angel was woken up by a persistent ringing. He remembered falling asleep with Buffy right after the movie, and he smiled to himself as he realized she was snuggled up against his chest. He was pretty sure she was at least starting to feel something between them too. Then his phone rang again, and when he looked around he realized it was nearly three in the morning. Feeling a sense of dread, he reached for his cell. A phone call at three am rarely meant good news.

"Hello?" he answered sleepily and he heard the caller let out a deep breath on the other end.

"Angel, I'm glad you answered," Wesley replied and Angel felt himself becoming more awake. "Sorry to wake you, but I thought you'd want to know your mother woke up," he said and Angel felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. Thank God. "She was coherent and recognized us. She's exhausted though and back asleep. We didn't get a chance to tell her you were here," he explained and Angel felt Buffy slide up his body and he mouthed sorry to her to which she immediately shook her head in dismissal.

"Wes, is she okay?" Angel questioned and when Buffy rested a hand on his chest in support he gave her a small smile.

"She's fine," he assured him and Angel nodded to tell Buffy his mom was okay. "Like I said she was tired and after we made sure she remembered everything and the doctors checked her out she fell back asleep. They told us she'll probably sleep through the night," Wesley told him and Angel could hear that Wes was also exhausted.

"You and Fred need to go get some sleep too," Angel directed and Wes let out a short chuckle.

"Yes, that's exactly what we plan to do. We'll come back here in the morning and give you a call after we've talked to her," Wes told him and Angel agreed before they hung up.

"What happened?" Buffy asked immediately even as Angel slid down further in the bed to get more comfortable. He pulled her with him as he turned off the alarm. They didn't need to be at the hospital until after Wes called them.

"My mom woke up and everything's okay," Angel told her and she gave him a smile. "Fred and Wes didn't get a chance to tell her I'm here because she's really tired, but they will tomorrow and then they'll call," he explained quickly and he ran a hand through her hair. "Now get some sleep. If you have to meet my mother you're going to need it," he joked and she laughed lightly before reflexively placing a kiss on his neck as they fell back to sleep.

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"Hi Victoria," Fred said with a sweet smile as she walked into her hotel room. Wes had been keeping her company as Fred talked to the doctors and they assured her that the news of her son shouldn't have any adverse effects on Victoria's health.

"Fred," Mrs. O'Connor smiled happily as she saw the girl who she practically considered her daughter come into her room and sit next to her bed. "How are you, dear? Wesley was telling me about the move."

"Yeah, it's been an adjustment," she replied before taking a deep breath. "I have to tell you something, Victoria, and we're not sure you're going to like it," she began and Victoria looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked and Fred let out a soft laugh.

"We don't think it's anything wrong," she rambled and shook her head knowing she was dancing around the point. "Anyways, when we found out about your accident, we called Angel," she said evenly and she watched Victoria closely for any sign of emotion, but she was too much like her son. If she didn't want you to know what she was feeling then you wouldn't. "And he came here to see you," she continued and this time Victoria looked away and Fred fell silent almost forcing her to respond.

"And when he saw I was going to live he left?" she bit out but Fred's eyes widened realizing she had given Mrs. O'Connor the wrong impression.

"NO!" she exclaimed and Victoria looked back at Fred in confusion. "A-Angel's still here," she assured her and although she saw a change on Victoria's face she didn't know what it was. "He's here with his girlfriend, but we thought we should tell you first. He wants to see you," she rushed out and Angel's mom nodded.

"Okay."

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"Come with me," Angel begged Buffy as they stood outside his mother's hospital door, but Buffy shook her head.

"No, Angel," she refused and Angel sighed. "You should do this yourself the first time. Then you can introduce me," she compromised and he nodded knowing she was right. He was just afraid to face his mother alone. What if she still blamed him? What if she still hated him? "Go Angel," Buffy encouraged with a hand on his back as he placed one apprehensive hand on the door knob and turned it.

He walked in and tried to offer his mother a smile, but found it impossible. He was too nervous. This was the first time he'd seen her, at least conscious, in over a year and he'd forgotten how intimidating she could be.

"Hi mom," he finally said, unhappy with how soft his voice was. He stayed near the foot of her bed, and she merely nodded.

"Angel," she greeted and he felt as if he'd been stabbed by the coldness of her response.

"I was worried about you," he said truthfully and he forced himself to make eye contact.

"I'm fine," she told him and he nodded not sure why he'd expected any other response from his mother. Even when they'd been on good terms she didn't like when people fussed over her. "Fred said you brought your girlfriend," she said changing the subject and Angel nodded, relieved it sounded like he'd be bringing Buffy in. He did not want to be here alone with his mother for one more second. It was every bit as uncomfortable as he'd feared.

"She'd like to meet you," he replied and when his mother nodded he turned to leave the room before her voice stopped him.

"Does she know?" she asked and although Angel wasn't sure what she was asking about specifically it didn't matter. Buffy knew everything there was to know.

"Yes," he replied before leaving the room and going to get Buffy. She was standing by the door and she turned to him immediately.

"How did it go?" she wanted to know and he sighed and shook his head.

"She still hates me," he told her and Buffy could see he was trying not to let it get to him but was failing rather miserably. "She wants to meet you.

"Okay," Buffy agreed knowing Angel needed to get this over with so she grabbed his hand and they walked back inside Victoria's room.

"Mom, this is Buffy, my girlfriend," he announced and Buffy gave Angel's mother a warm smile despite the anger she felt towards her. How could she still blame her son? Especially one as caring and thoughtful as Angel.

"Hi Mrs. O'Connor," Buffy said. "It's nice to meet you."

"Buffy?" Victoria questioned and Buffy shrugged not feeling like she had to defend herself to someone who wouldn't even stand by her own son.

"Yeah, it's different," she agreed. "Kind of like Angel," she continued with a fake smile that Angel felt himself smiling at. He knew Buffy thought his mother was wrong, and a part of him loved that at least his girlfriend stuck by him. Fuck, FAKE girlfriend, Angel reminded himself.

"Touché," his mother replied with the hint of a smile on her face as well. Angel had certainly met his match with this one. At least someone was taking care of him since she couldn't. It was too painful, but he was still her son and she still loved him. Before the conversation could continue, a doctor walked in and interrupted them.

"Mr. O'Connor, could I speak to you for a moment regarding the medication your mother will be receiving upon her release from the hospital?" he asked and Angel shrugged before following him outside. Buffy saw him glance in her direction as the door shut behind him, but she was determined to stay here with his mother. She had a few things to say to her.

"Mrs. O'Connor," Buffy began, as she walked around so she was on the side of the bed. "I think you're one pretty pathetic excuse for a mother," she told her not bothering to hide any of the disgust in her voice. Buffy watched as Victoria's eyes widened before hardening in anger but Buffy continued before she could protest. "Angel is a good man, and we both know he wasn't responsible for the death of your daughter," she said forcing herself not to raise her voice. She didn't want anyone coming in here and interrupting this. "The only one who doesn't know that is Angel."

"You have no right!" Victoria exclaimed as she sat up a little straighter but Buffy barreled on having had this conversation in her head many times.

"I do have the right because someone has to do this and Angel never will. He would never tell you anything that would upset you," she said and Mrs. O'Connor knew that Buffy was right on that point. "You lost your husband and your daughter. You can't get them back," she stated bluntly and Victoria remained silent knowing Buffy had more to say. "But you can get your son back," she reminded her and Buffy saw a few tears collecting in the corners of Angel's mother's eyes. "He loves you and it kills him every day to think you hate him."

"I don't hate him," she interrupted immediately and Buffy smiled slightly having gotten exactly the reaction she was hoping for. Buffy took a small step back, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she waited for Mrs. O'Connor to explain herself. "At the time I did blame him. It was irrational, but I couldn't help it," she admitted. "Then it just hurt to look at him," she whispered.

"You don't have to tell me," Buffy said in a much calmer tone of voice. "You need to tell Angel."

"Tell Angel what?" he asked as he opened the door to hear the tail end of their conversation.

"Your mom has something she'd like to tell you," Buffy replied as she headed towards the door. He gave her a questioningly look, but she merely gestured back towards his mother and left the room.

"I don't hate you," Victoria said and Angel's head whirled around to look at her. Where had that come from? He saw a few tears in her eyes and it all fell into place. Buffy had said something.

"Mom, I'm sorry if Buffy-"

"No," she cut him off shaking her head. "It was about time somebody did," she told him. "We have a lot of issues Angel," she told him to which he only nodded. "I know, especially now after my own accident, that you weren't responsible for Kathy," she said quietly and Angel felt a few tears sting his own eyes as he sank on the chair next to his mom's bed.

"Mom," he whispered but she grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Let me get this out," she responded and he nodded. "You reminded me of your father more and more every day," she said in a nostalgic tone. "You looked like him, talked like him, and your mannerisms…and now it's even more similar," she trailed off as her mind traveled back in time. "After he died it broke my heart to be reminded of him in any way. It wasn't your fault Angel. It was mine," she explained and this time Angel did feel tears running down his face. He'd never gotten over the fact that his mother rejected him, but here she was apologizing for it. "I should have been strong enough to keep it together for you."

"Mom, you were always strong," he argued but she gave him a smile and patted his hand.

"After Kathy's accident it was just too much," she whispered and he nodded again as he remembered how difficult it had been for both of them. "It was easy to blame you. Logically of course it didn't make sense, but logic doesn't matter when a woman has lost her husband and daughter in such a short amount of time," she spoke quietly and Angel squeezed her hand having used that argument in her defense a number of times. "But you lost a father and a sister and I seemed to forget that."

"You didn't have to-"

"Yes, Angel, I did," she interrupted and he looked down, his eyes locked on their hands. "I pushed you away. And your girlfriend was right. I can't get them back," she choked out and she raised her arm and brushed away her tears despite the cast. "But I can get you back," she whispered and he looked up at her, both of their tear filled eyes locking. "At least I hope I still can."

"You can," he promised her as he stood up to give her a hug. He hugged her gently to be careful of her injuries before placing a kiss on her forehead. "Mom, I'm glad to have you back," he said as he sat back down.

"We'll have to work back in slowly, I'm sure," she reminded him and he nodded willing to do whatever it took to get his mom, his only remaining family, back in his life. "But I do like your girlfriend," she smiled a wide grin.

"Yeah, she's something," Angel agreed with a smile as his mind seemed to wander to thoughts of her.

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"She's going to need help," Wesley pointed out as the four of them sat in the waiting room discussing what they were going to do about Mrs. O'Connor. "Even once she's released she'll have a broken leg and her wrist…" he trailed off as the other three nodded.

"I could stay with her," Angel offered and Buffy selfishly hoped he wouldn't. She didn't know how long she could stay here with him under the pretense of being his girlfriend. Tomorrow was New Year's Eve when this was all supposed to be over. If he stayed here, hours away from Sunnydale…God she may never see him again.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea for either of you, Angel," Fred spoke gently and Angel nodded having already been unsure himself. "I just don't think that's the way for you to rebuild your relationship."

"You're probably right," Angel agreed and Fred seemed relieved that he wasn't insulted.

"Fred and I discussed it, and we're still in the process of selling our old apartment anyways," he explained. "Some of our furniture hasn't even been moved out. We could stay there and take care of your mother," he offered and Angel stood and shook Wes' hand before pulling him into a manly hug.

"Thanks Wes," he replied and Wes gave him a smile in return. Angel turned to Fred and immediately wrapped his arms around her. "If she drives you crazy call me," he said only half joking and Fred laughed. He'd already said goodbye to his mother and wished her a happy new year so there was nothing left for him to do here.

"We'll see you guys soon," they promised and Angel grabbed Buffy's hand leading her out of the hospital.

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"When do you want to leave tomorrow?" Angel asked as he sat up in the bed, his back resting against the headboard.

"I don't have anything going on until the party at eight, so…whenever," she shrugged crawling into bed next to him and mimicking his position. Angel briefly considered that checkout was at eleven, but the hotel was pretty cheap. He was exhausted, both mentally and emotionally from the past couple days and it would be worth it to not have to rush out of bed in the morning.

"I'm not going to set the alarm then. Whenever we get up we'll just go," he told her and Buffy nodded before he fell silent. His eyes were blank, staring straight in front of him and Buffy could tell he was holding something back.

"Angel, what's wrong?" she questioned and when he turned to face her she was struck by the emotions she could see in his eyes.

"I don't know how to thank you," he whispered, turning slightly as he pulled her into his arms. "She blamed me for so long," he muttered and Buffy wrapped her arms around him, somehow knowing he'd always kept it to himself how much his lack of a relationship with his mother hurt him. "Buffy, I-" he stopped feeling himself beginning to choke up and Buffy ran her fingers through his hair.

"It's okay," she replied and his eyes fell shut as he felt himself quickly losing control of his emotions.

"Thank you for making me come here," he breathed and she pulled back slightly so she could see his face. Her heart broke at the vulnerability in his gaze. She'd never seen him that way. She'd seen him happy, playful, tired, even angry and scared, but never ever vulnerable. "And I don't know what you said to my mom, but…" he trailed off as their eyes met and every coherent thought vanished from his mind.

She was perfect…just so fucking perfect, he realized as he thought about all she'd done for him. You didn't do that for someone you didn't at least care about. She had to have some feelings for him. She had to. There was no way feelings this intense and this relentless could possibly be one-sided. He brushed some hair back behind her ear and felt as if his world was spinning.

She was so damn beautiful too, he thought as his eyes flickered down to her lips. He stifled a groan as he thought about the way her lips had felt against his. The few kisses he'd given her were etched into his memory, but they weren't enough. He doubted he'd ever get enough of her. His senses all seemed to be in overdrive and he felt like her hand on the back of his neck was on fire. He thought he heard her breath hitch, but it could have been his, as one of his hands tangled in her hair.

"Buffy," he murmured and there were somehow only a few inches between their lips.

"Angel?" she questioned in a breathy voice and any control he'd had left snapped at that moment.

"Please don't hate me for this," he begged before pulling her lips to his. She whimpered slightly when their lips met, and he didn't waste a second before slipping his tongue into her mouth. With one hand still on the back of his neck, she ran the other one around to his back, digging her nails into his skin through his t-shirt. Their tongues slid against each other slowly and sensuously, and he didn't bother holding back a groan.

He was less hesitant this time, she noticed and she knew he was only looking for comfort, but she'd be damned if she wasn't going to provide the best fucking comfort he'd ever experienced. She shifted, pushing his chest back against the headboard as she moved to straddle him. His hands instinctively fell to her hips and she moaned into his mouth as he pushed her against his hardening length.

As she ground her hips into his, he broke the kiss and gasped as her hands ran underneath his shirt, quickly pulling it off of him. He immediately leaned forward and placed teasing kisses along her neck, licking and sucking lightly as he went. She was trembling in his arms as his hands came up to caress her breasts through her top.

"Angel," she whispered and with the sound of her voice reality came crashing back down for him.

"Oh God, Buffy," he exclaimed as he leaned back against the headboard, feeling terribly guilty for what he'd just done. "I'm sorry," he whispered and she looked at him half curious, and half desperate to return to what they'd been doing ten seconds ago. "This wasn't supposed to happen th-"

"Oh my God," she muttered climbing off of him and moving a few inches away. He was going to tell her it wasn't supposed to happen. She felt a few tears stinging her eyes but she forced them away. She knew what she was getting into when she'd started this whole fake fiancé thing.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken advantage of you. Especially not after everything you've done for me," he told her and she didn't bother telling him that if he hadn't stopped them she'd have ended up doing a whole hell of a lot more for him.

"I wasn't exactly fighting you off," she pointed out with a slight blush and he ran a hand down his face. She hadn't fought him off, or even hesitated, he realized, and he suddenly hated himself very much for stopping them. But glancing over at her, he caught sight of her swollen lips and flushed face and he knew he'd made the right decision. He wanted her more than anything, but he was going to do it right. And with her not even knowing how he felt about her it wasn't right.

She slid down the bed, covering herself with the blankets and he glanced around for his shirt. He should probably put that back on…

He spotted it several feet away all the way in a corner. He looked back towards Buffy and thought better of putting that shirt back on. It wasn't really that important anyway, he decided as he too slid down and began to get comfortable.

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Hours later Angel lay awake in bed, listening to Buffy's steady breathing. She'd fallen asleep quite a while ago, but he was still lost in his thoughts. She hadn't crawled into his arms tonight like she had the past few nights, but he supposed he could understand why. If she felt anything like him, any more contact would have sent her over the edge.

This was becoming way too hard on both of them. And tomorrow was New Year's Eve, their last scheduled night together. But he wasn't leaving her. He couldn't. He'd take her to the party tomorrow night, they'd have fun, and before he dropped her off at home he'd tell her how he felt. But just in case she didn't feel the same way he'd give himself one more night with her. They could still have New Year's Eve.

She turned her back towards him in her sleep and Angel let out a sigh. He'd become addicted to falling asleep with her in his arms so he slid over to her quietly. He prayed she didn't wake up as he slid an arm around her waist and spooned her body from behind.

**Remember, a birthday review would be nice! Let me know what you thought.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the wait. I had some trouble finding time to write and when I did it all seemed to come together slowly. This is the New Year's Eve chapter. It starts a little slow, but overall I think it works. Now I warn you, the next chapter will probably take a while for me to write. It's just a guess because I haven't started writing it yet, but I have the feeling it'll take a few days like this one did. **

**Anyways, thanks for sticking with me. I appreciate it. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. It helps a lot!  
**

PART 11

"Do you think we should get going?" Angel suggested and Buffy gave a short nod as she grabbed her suitcase off the bed. "I can carry that for you," he offered but Buffy shook her head.

"I got it," she assured him and he bit back a sigh as he opened the door and held it for her. Things had been awkward between them all morning and he hated it. He knew he loved her, but she was his best friend too and he needed to be able to talk to her.

He followed her down the hall to the elevators in silence, and he briefly wished he hadn't stopped them last night. If things were awkward between them anyways they might as well have-NO. He did the right thing, he was convinced of that. That wasn't how he wanted it to happen for them.

Buffy was desperate to break the silence between them, but didn't know how. When she'd woken up that morning and felt his body against hers she'd purposely stayed still, reveling in the feeling of having him so close, until he woke up. In the crowded elevator they were so close to him she could smell him, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip. She just wanted to wrap herself around him, have his hands on her body, and feel his lips on hers again.

It wasn't until they'd checked out of the hotel and gotten on the highway that Buffy finally spoke. "I going to call my mom and wish her a happy new year," she said pulling out her phone. Angel gave a short nod, his hands tightening on the steering wheel at the sound of her voice.

The phone rang four times, and Buffy wondered what was taking her mother so long to answer. Last Buffy had heard her mom didn't have any plans so she knew she was home. Finally, someone picked up, but the voice on the other end was not that of her mother.

"Summers' residence," a man's voice answered and Buffy was shocked silent briefly.

"Um, this is Buffy," she said and Angel glanced at her curiously, wondering why she had to identify herself when she'd called her mother's home.

"Oh yes, Buffy," the man replied knowingly. "This is uh, well, it's Giles," he said and Buffy's eyes widened slightly as she realized that her old high school librarian was in her mother's house.

"Giles?" Buffy exclaimed and she heard him clear his throat uncomfortably.

"Yes, well, we were waiting for a call from Jenny and her husband. They're having a party...would you like to speak to your mother?" he asked and Buffy rested her head against the car window.

"Yes," she answered and she could hear him call for Joyce before handing her the phone.

"Hi Buffy," her mom greeted and Buffy scoffed.

"MOM!" she yelled and Joyce sighed. "Are you…_dating_ Giles?" she asked sounding scandalized by the mere thought.

"Well, we have been spending some time together, yes," she admitted and Buffy let out a quiet whimper.

"Ew," she whispered and Angel held back a chuckle at Buffy's reaction. "Okay, so I just wanted to wish you Happy New Year. Um, you and Giles have fun but please don't tell me any details about that fun. Bye," she spoke quickly and hung up before her mother could reply. "That's so gross," she shivered dropping her phone on the seat next to her. Angel was unable to hold back a laugh at her and she leaned over and slapped his shoulder playfully. "Stop it, it's not funny!" she squealed but he only laughed harder as he tried to avoid her slapping hands.

"Yes it is," he disagreed but she shook her head as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"My high school librarian is dating my mother," she reminded him and he nodded as she rested her head on the back of the seat. "Oh my God, every time I think about Giles I just think about old books and tweed!" she moaned and Angel forced himself not to laugh.

"Don't you want your mother to be happy?" he asked and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Of course I do. But I can be a little grossed out about it too," she shot back and he smiled. She was so cute.

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A couple hours later they had the radio on and Angel listened as he tried to continue conversation with Buffy, but things were still too awkward and forced between them. She was clearly uncomfortable about what had happened last night, and he hated himself for letting it get as far as it did. Vaguely he heard the radio mention hockey, and he realized they were talking about the Kings' upcoming games.

"Buffy, that's the one you got me tickets for!" he exclaimed excitedly as the DJ talked about one of the best matchups of the season.

"It's a good game?" Buffy checked and he nodded happily, turning off the radio as the station went to commercial.

"Yeah it's a good game, Buffy," he chuckled at the pleased look on her face. "It's an awesome game."

"Good. I don't really know much about hockey," she admitted and he smiled having already known that. "I dated a hockey player once, but nothing stuck," she shrugged and he felt a stab of jealousy. Who was this hockey player she dated?

"You dated a hockey player?" he asked trying to sound nonchalant and it seemed he succeeded when she nodded.

"Yeah. We were like fifteen and for the three weeks we were together all he wanted to do was explain hockey. But he was a terrible explainer person," she told him and he relaxed at the news that it wasn't another serious relationship. "Like, you know that thing where the puck goes all the way down the ice and then the whistle blows if the wrong team touches it or something?" she asked and he laughed lightly.

"Icing?" he clarified and she snapped her fingers with a nod.

"Yes. That. He could not explain that. I had to Google it," she said and he shook his head.

"I promise I'll explain it better," he assured her, not even realizing what he'd said until it was out of his mouth.

"Angel I didn't get you those tickets so you had to take me," she told him softly and he glanced at her. Of course she wouldn't want to go.

"No, I know," he rushed to say as he shook his head. "I just meant…if I did explain it. I would do it better," he covered, inwardly wincing at how lame that sounded.

"I figured you'd want to take Doyle or something," she said and he sighed feeling guilty for even thinking of taking someone else. She'd bought him the tickets…she should go with him. He wanted to take her.

"Buffy, I…" he trailed off, and she looked at him questioningly. "Do you want me to pay you for the tickets?" he asked and she averted her eyes immediately. "And the sketch book? I mean, I will. It's not a problem. I understand," he babbled but Buffy shook her head immediately.

"No Angel," she told him. "Those were gifts. Fake engagement or not, you don't have to pay me for your own gifts," she replied and he nodded worried he'd offended her somehow. She sighed inwardly as she wondered if he expected her to pay him for the things he'd given her. She wasn't sure she would be able to afford everything, but she'd find a way. "I-I can pay you for my-"

"No Buffy," he cut her off shaking his head emphatically. "That wasn't what I meant when I offered. I wanted to buy you those things," he told her honestly and she nodded. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even brought it up," he said and she let it drop, relieved that she didn't have to come up with enough money to pay for earrings and slippers, let alone a diamond necklace. That had to have cost hundreds at least…How the hell could he afford that?

"Can I ask you something, Angel?" she spoke hesitantly and Angel nodded at her curiously. "It's none of my business, and you don't have to answer," she told him but he knew he'd tell her his life story if she asked. "But, as an artist, how did you afford the things you gave me?" she wanted to know and he was silent for a long time and she was regretting asking this question. It was totally inappropriate and she had no idea what she'd been thinking to-

"When my dad died he left Kathy and I a lot of money," he revealed and he glanced quickly at Buffy to find her listening attentively. "Most of it went to mom, but we were a well-off family and he had trusts set up for the two of us. Then Kathy was very practical. She had a will drawn up for herself a few months after dad died," he explained quietly. "I ended up with all of Kathy's money too."

"But your mom-"

"Kathy never dreamed she'd die before mom," he pointed out and Buffy nodded understanding Kathy's thought process. "I tried to give it to my mom, but she didn't want to have much to do with me," he shrugged and Buffy sighed.

"Well it sounds like things are better with your mom now," she said and Angel smiled slightly.

"Yeah," he agreed and he reached over grabbing Buffy's hand. "Thanks to you," he reminded her and he saw a slightly blush consume her cheeks. Squeezing her hand he felt things between them starting to get tense again. Trying to lighten the mood he added, "I just hope it sticks after her pain killers wear off."

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Later Buffy had unpacked her suitcase and was all ready for the party. Her and her friends had been celebrating New Years' at the Bronze since high school, so now it was tradition. The Dingoes weren't playing tonight so Willow was excited to actually have Oz as a date for the night. It would be Willow and Oz, Xander and Anya, and Buffy and Angel. Everybody was paired off for the midnight kiss. Another tradition they'd started in high school.

Buffy's lips tingled as she thought about the midnight kiss. No matter what happened tomorrow, she'd have one more kiss from him tonight and she was determined to make it count. The knock on the door told her he was here, and she walked down the stairs briefly wondering where Willow had been spending the past few days. It didn't look like she'd been home since Buffy had left.

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When she opened the door Angel felt his breath catch in his throat. It was becoming all too familiar to him, this stunned silence whenever he saw her. She was dressed in a gold dress that sparkled just enough…

"Hi," she spoke quietly as she took in the sight of him in his black pants and black shirt. Did he ever wear colors? It didn't matter. He looked so good in black… "Come in," she said quickly forcing her thoughts away from how good he looked.

"You look amazing," he told her, his voice low as he stared at her. She smiled slightly as a light blush consumed her cheeks and she was positive he could hear her heart beating. "You're going to be the most beautiful girl at that party," he said truthfully and she could feel his eyes traveling up and down her body.

"Well, I'm not sure the heels will make it through the night," she admitted with a raised brow and his eyes dropped to her shoes. They were gold, but that wasn't what caught his eye. He was distracted by the five inch heel on them…damn those were fuck me heels. Swallowing thickly, he looked back to her face to see her shrug. "They're sort of uncomfortable, but they're all I have that go with this dress."

"Trust me, they're worth it," he husked out as he thought of how it would feel for her to just wrap her legs around him. Her dress wasn't long. He could just shove it up and-

"Thank you," she smiled and he nodded, unconsciously unbuttoning another button on his shirt as he turned towards the door. It was getting really hot in there. "We should go," she told him and he nodded again as she headed towards the door. His hand fell to the small of her back and he chuckled slightly. "What?" she asked and he smirked.

"You're a lot taller than usual," he teased and when she glared at him playfully he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

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As they walked into the Bronze Buffy quickly spotted her group of friends. Willow, Xander, and Anya were all decked out in their New Years' hats and Oz had clearly refused to wear his. Buffy led Angel to her friends and Xander stood to greet them.

"Hey Buff, happy New Year!" he exclaimed excitedly as he hugged her tightly. Pulling back afterwards, Buffy turned towards Angel.

"Xander, this is Angel," Buffy introduced and the two shook hands before Anya came back with her and Xander's drinks.

"Hi Angel," she smiled handing one glass to Xander. "You were right. Xander enjoyed the red lingerie you picked out," she told him and Angel felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment at the memory.

"Okay!" Xander exclaimed as he wrapped his free arm around Anya's shoulders. "That's enough of that. We'll be over there," he pointed aimlessly leading his girlfriend away from Buffy and Angel.

"Buffy!" Willow called out from a nearby table and she held up a fuzzy headband with Happy New Year on it. She held it out and Buffy took it immediately putting it on as she sat in a chair across from Willow. "I got one for Angel too just to be nice even though I figured he wasn't one for the fuzzy headbands," she explained and Angel grimaced as he slid into the chair next to Buffy. "That's what I thought," she shrugged as she set it back on the table. "Oz wouldn't wear his either."

"Well, that's Oz," Buffy agreed and he gave her a slight smile. "How's the party, Oz?" she asked knowing her and Angel had been rather late.

"Strangely affecting. I danced when they played 'Get the Party Started,'" he admitted glancing towards the dance floor. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he glanced at Willow who grinned at the memory.

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Later when Angel and Oz had both gone to get drinks Willow grabbed Buffy's arm and quickly pulled her aside.

"What's going on with Angel?" she asked taking a sip through her straw.

"What do you mean? After tonight-"

"No! Stop that," Willow insisted as she literally stamped her foot in frustration. "I see the way you two act around each other. There's something there," she told Buffy who only let out a sigh in return. "Don't tell me you never thought about what it would be like if you two were really together."

"Of course I've thought about it," Buffy admitted as she glanced down at her feet. "Too much," she added and Willow hid a smile. "But we're not really together," she stated simply as she crossed her arms across her chest. "And after tonight I doubt we'll ever see each other again."

"But what if he feels the same way?" Willow countered and Buffy shook her head defiantly.

"He doesn't," she replied but Willow could hear the disappointment in her friend's voice.

"I think he might," Willow disagreed but when Buffy refused to meet her eyes Willow knew there was more to the story. "What happened?" she wanted to know and after a slight hesitation Buffy began her story.

"Last night in the hotel, he kissed me," she told her and at Willow's excited look Buffy continued quickly. "But after things started to get…" she trailed off and Willow nodded in understanding. "He stopped us and said we shouldn't do that," she explained and Willow sighed.

"Maybe he just wanted it to happen in a more romantic way," she offered hopefully but Buffy shook her head. She loved that Willow was a hopeless romantic, but it had always clouded her friend's judgment. First Willow had encouraged her relationship with Spike and then with Riley. That was just what Willow did.

"He was upset about his mom and I was there. That's it," Buffy said and by the tone of her voice Willow knew this particular conversation was over.

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"Hi Angel," Willow greeted cheerfully while Buffy was in the bathroom.

"Hi," he responded and she couldn't help but notice the faraway look in his eyes.

"Are you going to see Buffy after tonight?" she questioned and his eyes snapped to hers wondering what she was getting at. Had they been talking about him?

"We're not supposed to," he finally said and Willow stared at him for a few moments.

"Don't you think that maybe, I don't know," Willow began hoping he would jump in here and give her some clue as to how he was feeling. "You two would get together as friends. For coffee?" she suggested and he shrugged silently.

"The plan was to see each other until tonight," he reminded her and Willow nodded.

"Maybe you should talk to her about changing that plan," she hinted before standing up and walking away to leave Angel with his thoughts. Yeah, he decided. They'd been talking about him.

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"It's only 11:30 and my feet are killing me," Buffy whined as she leaned heavily against Angel.

"Come here," he murmured half leading and half carrying her to the couch. He sank down on it and she immediately sat next to him slipping her feet out of her shoes. "We can just stay here until midnight," he offered but she shook her head.

"In a little bit we'll have to go get a spot on the dance floor. At midnight they drop confetti and it's like a big glitter explosion," she grinned and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her body against his. He still had thirty minutes left of being with her, and he was going to enjoy it.

"Well we don't want to miss the glitter explosion," he chuckled as he glanced down at her. He felt as if his heart stopped when he was met with her smiling face. This was the best New Year's he'd had in as long as he could remember. He usually spent the night at some party getting drunk, but tonight was different. He'd barely had anything to drink because he wanted to make sure he could remember every detail of this night. If it was the last hours he spent with Buffy, he wanted them to be perfect. He was so in love with her…

After tonight he could walk away from her. He could take the fantastic memories, leave with his pride intact, and not risk her rejecting him. But in that same second he dismissed it. For the rest of his life he'd compare every woman he met to her and he knew, he just knew, nobody would come close. He couldn't just let her go and walk away. He would regret it every second of every day. She was it for him. He was sure of that.

"You know, when I came up with this whole fake fiancé thing," she started and he listened intently as she spoke softly in the loud club. "I never thought I'd meet someone like you."

"I never thought that Darla leaving me would be the best thing to happen to me," he responded and when their eyes met he ached to kiss her, but he refrained knowing that if she didn't take it well he'd be ruining the last few minutes they had together.

"Why was that the best thing that happened?" she asked confused and he smiled slightly.

"Because I met you and I realized how good things could be," he replied and she blushed furiously at his words. She shook her head, and fixed her New Year's headband to cover her embarrassment.

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"Is this good?" Angel asked as she glanced around the crowded dance floor. There were less than two minutes until midnight, and everyone was rushing to find their spot on the floor.

"It's perfect," she smiled excitedly and the entire crowd stared up at the screen showing the countdown. "I love this holiday," she nearly squealed and Angel let his hand rest around her waist while they waited. "Are you having fun?" Buffy asked and when he glanced down at her face he shared her smile.

"It's the best New Year's Eve I've ever had," he told her truthfully and she grinned as the music suddenly turned off and the crowd began counting down. Fifteen more seconds.

"Me too," she replied softly. "A rough year," she whispered as he stepped closer to her to hear her better. "But tonight has been amazing," she said and they distantly heard the countdown hit ten. Neither of them joined in the countdown instead finding themselves far too absorbed in each other. He was desperate to kiss her, and he felt as if the seconds were crawling by. Just five more…

Her breathing increased as she stepped into him. She brought her hands up to his shoulders and he wrapped his around her waist.

Three seconds…

Their eyes were locked on each other, the tension between them undeniable. Buffy felt her heart rate accelerate to an unbearable level when the crowd yelled one second.

At the same time they heard the cheers of "Happy New Year!" Angel's lips were on hers. He pulled her body flush against his and he felt her dig her fingernails into his shoulders even through his shirt. Their tongues met almost immediately, and her body nearly melted into his. Confetti fell around them and on them, but it barely registered in either of their minds. The heat from the kiss sent shivers down Buffy's spine as his tongue caressed hers. One of his hands came up to tangle in her hair, knocking her headband to the ground, but neither of them broke the kiss. Instead Buffy deepened it, flicking her tongue against the roof of his mouth. He gasped lightly before pulling away just slightly to nip on her bottom lip.

"Happy New Year," he whispered and she gave him a smile as their eyes met briefly before she reached up to kiss him again. She captured his top lip in hers, letting out a low moan when his tongue impatiently sought out hers. One of her hands snuck under the collar of his shirt, massaging the muscles of his neck and he felt like his entire body was on fire. "Buffy," he murmured into the kiss knowing they couldn't keep doing this here.

"Mmm," she replied and he groaned before tearing his lips from hers.

"We need to talk about this," he whispered and he took in the sight of her covered in glitter, her lips swollen, and her eyes still glazed over. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. She nodded hesitantly before he reached for one of her hands. Grabbing it from around his neck, he led her out of the club.

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They'd ridden to Buffy's house in silence, both too wrapped up in their own thoughts to hold up any conversation. Neither of them was sure what they were going to say once they got inside, and they were struggling to come to terms with their feelings during the short ride.

What was he supposed to say when he got there? 'Hey, I'm in love with you, so instead of never seeing each other again would you go to dinner with me?' He inwardly grimaced as he ran through thousands of ways this conversation could go. Some ended with her in a white dress, but most seemed to end with her laughing in his face. Although in a select few she took pity on him and slapped him hard across the face before kicking him out.

In the passenger seat Buffy was chewing nervously on her bottom lip. She'd fallen for him so hard, what was she supposed to do? After their kiss she'd decided to tell him how she felt. It was a risk and she was terrified, but she couldn't just let him go. She had to try.

After what seemed like both seconds and hours Angel parked his car in her driveway and they both walked into the house. He shut the door behind her and locked it knowing he would be there for a while. They had a lot to talk about. Buffy slipped her shoes off, but was too nervous to sit so instead they both stood in her living room staring at the floor, the windows…anywhere but at each other. Finally growing annoyed with the silence, Buffy spoke up.

"You said you wanted to talk," Buffy reminded him and he glanced up at her for the first time since they'd left the Bronze. "That usually requires one of us saying something."

"You're right," he nodded as he took a deep breath. Running a hand through his hair he opened his mouth, but found himself at a loss for words. Letting out a frustrated sigh he glanced down at the floor.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," Buffy said suddenly losing all of her courage. He was so intimidating. If he wanted to he could break her heart with one word and never look back. But knowing him he'd feel guilty and come check on her everyday afterwards. And that only made her love him more.

"No," he disagreed, his voice sounding much more confident than he felt. "Buffy, I don't want to keep pretending to be together," he said quietly and she felt as if he'd just ripped her heart out. When he saw the horrified look on her face he felt guilty. He'd clearly misread things, he realized. She didn't feel the same way. "I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I know that wasn't what you wanted to hear," he shook his head trying to steel himself against the onslaught of emotions he would feel when she rejected him.

"We never planned to keep pretending to see each other after tonight," she pointed out, her voice cold as she tried to hide how much he'd hurt her. She wouldn't cry, she told herself. Not until after he left. "I don't know why that required a conversation."

"No Buffy," he rushed to say suddenly understanding she'd gotten the wrong idea. "We can't keep doing this," he rephrased gesturing between them, but when she set her jaw in defiance he knew he'd done it again.

"We aren't," she replied and he let out an aggravated sigh. "Look, why don't you just go? It's what you want to do anyways so-"

"No it's not," he interrupted as he stepped closer to her. She took a small step back, knowing if he touched her she'd fall apart. "Buffy please," he begged seeing that she'd closed herself off. "You got the wrong idea," he told her as he reached for her arm.

"I got the wrong idea?" she exclaimed as she yanked her arm out of his grasp. "Really?" she retorted and he could see the anger in her eyes. "Because the idea I got was that we were using each other. And now we're done so there's no need to continue this," she spat out, purposely mimicking his gesture between the two of them and his eyes hardened.

"Buffy," he nearly growled as he grabbed her forearms to hold her still. "Is that really all you think this is?" he wanted to know, his voice softer as their eyes met. "Tell me," he insisted as he pulled her body closer to his until they were practically touching. "I know it started that way. But now, is that really all this was to you?" he asked and he saw the tears threatening to spill over. "Were you just using me?"

"No," she said quietly and he felt his heart soar with hope. He'd already determined he'd marry her tomorrow if she wanted him to, but he didn't think that was the right thing to tell her at this precise moment.

"Me either," he admitted and she let out a small sigh of relief even as a few tears leaked out of her eyes. Brushing them away gently he continued. "If you tell me to walk out the door and never come back I'll do it," he told her as his hands came up to rest on either side of her face. "It'll break my heart, but if that's what you want, I'll do it," he promised but she shook her head.

"I don't want that," she whispered and now it was his turn to let out a sigh of relief. He rested his forehead against hers, still drying a few tears as they fell down her face.

"What do you want?" he asked and her breath hitched in her throat at the question.

"You," she choked out and he didn't waste a second before pressing his mouth to hers. He kissed her gently, and she realized this was their first official kiss. Her hands slid into his hair as his thumbs stroked her cheeks, and he captured her top lip in between his before switching to her bottom lip. "What do you want?" she breathed and his eyes opened to meet hers and he'd never felt such an intense connection in his life.

"Us," he answered truthfully. "For real," he added before she leaned up on her tip toes to kiss him. He smiled into the kiss as the realization that he finally had what he wanted began to sink in. They were together.


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, well I warned you guys it would probably take a while for me to write this, but I am sorry for the wait. To make up for it here's a pretty long chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.**

PART 12

"I've wanted this for a long time," Angel murmured and Buffy's breath caught in her throat before she gave him a short kiss.

"Me too," she whispered and she offered him a small shy smile that he couldn't help but return. Her hands were resting on his chest and he found it slightly unbelievable that they were finally together. He'd wanted her since the moment he'd laid eyes on her, and every second he'd spent with her since had only increased his need for her.

She'd quickly become everything to him and while he held her close, he fought with himself over what he should do next. He _should_ kiss her goodnight and leave. That would be the proper gentlemanly thing to do, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to tear himself away now that he finally had her. He wanted to spend the rest of the night with her. Getting lost in her, making love to her, learning every nuance of her body… His breath nearly caught in his throat as he imagined the ways they could pass the time. He'd certainly thought about it and dreamed about it more than he cared to admit.

His hands slid slowly along her back, touching the soft fabric of her dress as his mind wandered. Their eyes were locked intensely, both so lost in their thoughts that they had barely noticed the time passing. He still didn't know what to do, and his heart and his mind were battling for control.

"Where do you want to go from here?" he murmured and the sound of his voice seemed to snap both of them out of their trance. She leaned back just slightly, but it was enough to allow her to think a little more clearly. At least she couldn't feel his breath on her lips anymore.

"I want you to stay," she told him honestly and he nodded feeling both exhilaration and fear run through him. If they moved too fast would he lose her? He wouldn't be able to bear having had her and then losing her. "We can watch a movie or something," she rushed out noticing his hesitation and knowing him well enough to understand where it was coming from.

"I'll stay," he promised, surprised he'd been able to wait longer than a split second before agreeing. As soon as the invitation had left her mouth his heart had soared and his body had been making plans he'd tried to stop, but he'd been largely unsuccessful.

"We can go get a snack for the movie," she offered and she reached for his hand as she led him towards the kitchen.

"As long as you don't make it," he teased with a smirk and she shot him a playful glare as they entered the kitchen.

"I was thinking something more along the lines of this," she said as she opened the freezer and pulled out a carton of ice cream. "Chocolate fudge mint chip," she announced with a gleam in her eye as she pulled open a drawer and grabbed a spoon. "Ever had it?" she asked and when he shook his head she rolled her eyes in mock exaggeration and popped the lid off. "Well then, let me introduce you to the finest ice cream confection ever," she grinned as she leaned against the counter and dug the spoon into the ice cream.

He stared, transfixed by her as she held the spoon out for him to try. He stepped closer, effectively trapping her against the counter. Their eyes locked, and with a smirk that sent shivers down her spine, he leaned down and took the ice cream off the spoon.

"It's good," he agreed and she watched him swallow, suddenly wondering if ice cream was such a good idea. Clearly he wanted to move slowly, and she was finding it difficult to not throw herself at him. She took a deep steadying breath. She needed to collect herself. Before she could, he reached out and took the spoon from her hand, brushing his fingers against hers in the process. He dipped it into the ice cream and raised it to her lips. He had to hold back a moan as her mouth closed around it, her eyes back on his. Her tongue darted out to lick a small drip on the side of her mouth, and he could feel his entire body harden at the sight.

"Well it is my favorite for a reason," she retorted and he nearly groaned out loud but instead shoved the spoon back in the ice cream as a distraction. She was so fucking sexy… When she reached in to take the spoon out of his hands, he let go immediately, too surprised to put up a fight. "I take it you like it too?" she smirked and he felt something inside of him snap.

He yanked the carton out of her hands and threw it on the counter next to them. His lips crushed against hers and distantly he heard the spoon clatter to the floor. She dug her fingers into his hair as his tongue delved hungrily into her mouth. He could still taste the ice cream on her tongue and it was driving him wild. He couldn't get enough of her and his hands trailed all over her body. He'd known this would be good, but…Jesus he couldn't even think.

She scraped her nails against his scalp and felt his tongue, still cool from the ice cream, circle hers in the most intoxicating way. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once, but still she wanted more. Her hands ran down his back. She'd been admiring his back and chest for days, and she could feel his muscles even through his shirt. He tore his lips from hers almost violently and she whimpered at the loss. She tried to pull him closer as she felt his fingers tangling in her hair. Leaning up she kissed him greedily, her teeth nipping at his bottom lip.

He quickly gained control of the kiss, scraping his own teeth against her tongue. She moaned into his mouth and he felt like he couldn't get close enough to her. Running his hands down to her hips he lifted her up and placed her on the counter. He stepped in between her thighs, groaning as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"God Buffy," he husked out as his mouth met the soft skin of her neck, catching the scent that he'd come to know as so uniquely her it turned him on even more. She arched into him while he placed hot wet kisses towards her chest. His hands slid down to her thighs, letting out a growl of frustration when her dress was in the way.

"Please Angel," she breathed out and she lifted herself off the counter just enough for him to slide her dress up to her waist. His eyes darkened in desire as he saw the lace, barely-there thong she wore. He could snap that with his teeth… He didn't realize he hadn't moved until her voice snapped him out of it. "Angel," she muttered before pulling him closer by her legs.

She gasped when his hardness came in contact with her center. He felt so good. She didn't think she'd be able to stop if he was suddenly overcome by one of his attacks of morality. His lips fell to her chest, kissing across the neckline of her dress. She held his head close to her, never wanting the feeling to stop. His hands teased along her inner thighs with feather light touches.

"Buffy," he choked out barely removing his mouth from her skin. She was so addicting… "Do you want to stop?"

"No," she gasped as her hands flew up to the buttons on his shirt undoing them one at a time.

"We-we're reaching the point of no return here," he rasped out as he felt her fingertips brushing against the skin of his chest. She certainly didn't seem like she wanted to stop, but he didn't want her to regret anything later. He'd wait if she asked him to.

"We're not returning," she breathed, her chest heaving. She arched her back, pushing her hips into his again. His eyes shut as desire slammed through him and his hands clenched on her thighs. "Forward. We're going forward," she said, and now assured that she wanted this, his lips devoured hers. She responded immediately kissing him hard.

His hand slid up her thigh, teasing her just at the edge of her panties. Slowly he slipped one finger under the fabric, running it lightly over her outer lips. He nearly lost it when he felt how wet she was. He couldn't help but slide his finger inside of her and she shuddered from his touch. When she broke the kiss a gasp escaped her lips and he inserted another finger. Her hands reached for his shoulders to steady herself and she held him desperately. He began to move his fingers, slowly at first. His cock was throbbing in anticipation, but he refused to rush this.

With every stroke of his fingers she thought she might explode. How was it possible that he knew just how to touch her? She ground her hips against his hand and their gazes locked. His eyes were darker than she'd ever seen them and she whimpered as he suddenly tilted his fingers upwards inside her. He massaged her expertly and she bit down on her bottom lip.

"Tell me how you want it," he murmured when he saw her eyes lose focus. Her entire body was clinging to him, but it still wasn't enough. He needed to make her his in every way. "Buffy," he called to get her attention knowing that if his own mind wandered this would all be over far too soon.

"Faster," she whispered and Angel complied immediately. When Buffy let out a breathy gasp he couldn't help but lean forward and capture her lips.

The kiss was hot and passionate and she ran her hands down his bare chest. While his fingers slid in and out of her, Buffy was breathing heavily against him. She sucked on his tongue and was hard pressed to remember a time when she'd wanted someone as much as she wanted him at that moment.

He could hear her starting to lose control and her legs tightened around his waist. Oh god, she was close. Her fingers were demanding as they tugged on his hair. Her hips rolled into his hand in a rhythm that was quickly speeding up as she neared her release. She broke the kiss on a moan and he spared a moment to look at her. Fuck, she was beautiful.

He couldn't resist brushing his thumb against her clit in time with his strokes. She cried out at the first touch to the sensitive flesh and he could feel her tremble against him.

"Angel," she gasped, her eyes falling shut as the first waves of pleasure overtook her. He felt her clench around his fingers and when she threw her head back he nearly exploded in his pants right along with her. He brought her down from her orgasm slowly, listening to her small whimpers as he did so. She was still writhing on the counter, and just before he pulled his fingers from her she grabbed his shoulders in a death grip. "Don't stop," she begged and her eyes were pleading with him. That first orgasm had been too fast, too fleeting. Now she needed more.

Even as he felt his cock straining further against his pants, he began to massage her inner walls again. When he felt her pulsing slightly around his fingers he realized she was already on her way to another orgasm. On a moan he let his head fall to her shoulder. If she kept making those little whimpering noises, he'd stand here and do this all fucking night.

"Damn Baby," he muttered into her flesh as he felt her soaking his hand. He pushed harder into her wondering if he'd ever get enough. At the sound of her breathless gasps he seriously doubted it. His tongue darted out to lick the bare skin of her shoulder, but he needed to see her face when she came. Leaning back, he pressed her clit hard.

"Oh god, Angel," she cried as she shattered around him in an even more violent release than the one before. One of her hands curled around his neck and she let out another moan before her orgasm slowly subsided.

He removed his fingers and couldn't resist licking them clean. He nearly groaned as the taste of her assaulted his body and when their gazes locked he knew this was going to end far too quickly. He was so on edge and there was still that same hunger in her eyes he'd seen after her first orgasm. She'd already come twice…no, he'd _made her_ come twice. He'd been surprised, but so damn turned on when she'd begged him to keep going. He'd planned to do that later, sure, but not here on the fucking kitchen counter. Maybe, just maybe, she was just as addicted to him as he was to her.

Sitting there after the two most intense orgasms of her life, Buffy couldn't help but let out a tiny moan before leaning forward to kiss him again. He responded eagerly, and she could taste herself on his tongue. She thought she just might die from the fierceness of his kiss as his hands slid around to her back to hold her closer. This was just so, so good. The things he'd been able to do to her with just his fingers…and they hadn't even removed any of their clothes. Oh god, she really might die before the night was over. Feeling a little too powerless, she slowly ran her hands down his chest.

Pulling his lips from hers, he let out a pained hiss as her nails left scratches down his skin, but _fuck_ that turned him on too. While his eyes were captivated by the way her breasts heaved with each breath she took, because damn…they did, her hands snuck down to his belt buckle. It took him a moment to realize what she was doing, but by the time she'd undone his belt and reached for the button of his pants he grabbed her wrists.

"No Buffy," he rasped and a panic rushed through her body. He could NOT stop them now. He just couldn't. "Not here," he said, his voice strained and she shook her head in disbelief. She did not care where this happened.

"It doesn't matter," she assured him, the desperation evident in her voice. "Angel," she whispered and her soft pleas made him even harder. "I need you."

"We're doing this right," he insisted. "I don't care how much I want you, I'm not going to let lust fuck this up," he told her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the counter. They both let out a moan as his erection pressed against her core and Angel hurried in the direction of the stairs.

With her body against his he could feel her hardened nipples even through her dress and it was almost too much. Oh, how he wanted to have those in his mouth…

He was only at the bottom of the stairs when he felt her lips on his neck and he faltered slightly. Then she started to grind her hips ever so slowly. He tried to take a deep, calming breath. She was dangerous. He should have known. He tried to block out the sensations coursing through his body and climb the stairs. Halfway up he felt her teeth graze the skin of his throat and he let out an agonized groan. He practically flew up the remaining stairs and pinned her against the wall at the top of the flight.

"Shit Buffy," he husked out as his lips landed on hers. He pressed himself against her, and even through his pants he could feel the heat of her. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and her fingers tugged at his short hair. "You keep this up and I'll be fucking you hard and fast against this wall," he warned darkly.

"Promises, promises," she murmured as a wicked smile spread across her face.

"Where the hell is your room?" he groaned and she gestured to the one just two doors down. Heaving a sigh, he carried her there quickly and kicked the door shut. He rushed her over to the side of the bed and let her down, moaning again as she slid all the way down his body. He took a shuddering breath before turning to the bed. He reached down for the comforter and began to pull it back. He flung it to the foot of the bed and it slid to the floor, but he couldn't find it within himself to care. He had a feeling they'd both be pretty hot all night anyways. And he'd be more than willing to keep her warm, he thought with a smirk.

When he bent over to pull back the blanket and sheet so they could get in, he felt her arms snake around his waist from behind. He froze as she wordlessly slid his belt through the loops and threw it on the floor. He watched her hands return to his body and expertly begin unbuttoning his pants. He clenched in need as she lowered the zipper, purposely brushing her hand against his hard length. At the shudder that ran through his body she grinned behind him.

"Problem Angel?" she asked innocently and he swore under his breath. She was enjoying this far too much. And damn, he admitted to himself, but so was he.

"You know," Angel replied as he craned his neck to look at her. "Here I am, trying to make this nice and special for us," he teased as the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. There she was, gorgeous, sexy, playful… She was perfect. "And you're being extremely impatient," he told her before throwing the blanket and sheet back so they could get in bed. He did want it to be nice and special. She grabbed the waistband of his pants and slowly slid them, along with his underwear, down his hips. He instinctively stepped out of them and she kicked them both aside before turning him around to face her.

"It is special," she assured him and the depth of her feelings he saw in her eyes floored him. Before he could reply she gave him a shove and he was suddenly laid out on his back on her bed. Climbing on top of him, she smirked before leaning down so her lips were even with his ear. "And it's already way beyond nice," she whispered and his hands circled her waist as she crashed her mouth down to his. He moaned into the kiss as she ground her hips down on his. He could feel how wet she was even through her panties and he slid his hands up under her dress. He couldn't wait anymore. He needed to be inside of her now. "No," she whispered as she grabbed his hands and pushed them up above his head. "It's not time for that yet," she told him with a seductive smile as she dropped her lips down to his throat.

"Buffy," he groaned as his head tilted back to give her better access. He buried his fingers in her hair and he felt her teeth scraping erotically against his flesh. "I can't wait," he admitted while her hands slid along his smooth chest.

"I know," she replied glancing up at his face. "But I want to taste you," she breathed and he felt his dick strain in response to her words. God, he wanted to feel her mouth around him too, but he doubted he'd last.

"I can't, Buffy," he said through clenched teeth even as his body rebelled.

"I'm sure you can find a way to occupy me afterwards, Angel," she challenged and he groaned. He sure as hell could occupy her. "So how do you want me to suck you?" she asked as she slowly licked one of his nipples.

"Jesus Buffy," he practically whimpered as she moved her way across his chest, nipping and licking as she went.

"What do you like? Fast and hard?" she suggested before tugging on his nipple with her teeth. He let out a harsh gasp at her words and wondered if she would need to use her mouth at all or if he'd come just from her words. "Or soft and slow?" she whispered before kissing her way down his stomach.

"Either. Both," he choked out desperately and his hips lurched at her question. "God Buffy, I'm not going to care when you have your mouth on me," he pointed out while she was kissing a path to his hip.

"The first time. Pick one," she insisted and he moaned at the implication of her words. She bit teasingly into his hip bone and he practically flew off the bed.

"Soft and slow," he muttered and she smiled against his skin. It was so like him to choose that. Her fingers slid down to his hips and she placed soft kisses along his inner thighs. She heard him let out a quiet whimper and she saw his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. He was trying so hard to stay in control… At the sight she licked her lips before lowering her mouth to suck gently on the tip of his hard length. "Buffy," he groaned low in his throat.

Her eyes traveled up to his face as she pressed her tongue firmly to the underside of his cock. When his eyes fluttered shut in pleasure she knew he was enjoying this. And shit, she realized, so was she. More than enjoying it actually, it was fucking turning her on. A lot. He was so hot and hard… She moaned against him and took more of him into her mouth. Oh god, her clit was pounding. She itched to reach down and touch herself, but she resisted. Instead she dug the nails of one hand into his hips while moving the other to stroke him using the same rhythm as her mouth.

Angel reached down and threaded his fingers through her hair. God, she was good at this. And every time he heard her moan it pushed him that much closer to the edge. As she gently scraped her teeth against him his eyes flew open and he glanced down. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and watching her with those lips wrapped around his cock… He moaned loudly as she began to suck him harder. His hips thrust involuntarily off the bed and he felt a familiar tightening in his balls.

"Buffy," he gasped fisting her hair in his hand. "Oh god, Buffy," he hissed as her eyes met his. Her free hand was suddenly massaging his balls and he didn't know where she'd learned to do that with her tongue, but damn it felt fucking amazing.

She let out a quiet whimper as she felt him starting to pulse and lengthen. She wanted to feel him come in her mouth. She wanted to taste him. God, she wanted to do _everything_ to this man. He was trying to control the movements of his hips, she could see it, but suddenly it was too much.

"Oh fuck, Buffy," he grunted as his hips thrust up into her and she felt him release long and hard into her mouth. She drained him, taking every drop, and his breath was coming in short gasping pants. As she slowly crawled back up his body his eyes locked on hers. His muscles felt almost too relaxed after his orgasm, but the desperate hunger in her eyes was quickly encouraging him again. She needed it now.

He leaned up and captured her lips in his as he quickly ridded himself of the shirt he was still wearing. Once his arms were free, he wrapped them around her small body, hugging her tightly to him as he kissed her. When her tongue slid against his slowly he felt a shudder pass through her and he was assured she was feeling everything just as strongly as he was.

He rolled her over gently until she was underneath him, never breaking their kiss. His hand slid up to cup the back of her neck as her arms curled around his shoulders. He finally pulled his lips from hers and their eyes locked the moment they parted. He was taken aback by the surge of emotions he felt rushing through him, and judging by the awed look in her eyes she seemed to feel the same way. Angel dropped his forehead to rest against hers while they tried unsuccessfully to catch their breaths.

"Buffy," he whispered kissing her lips lightly before moving slowly down the side of her neck. Her skin was so soft. She smelled so sweet… He heard her breath hitch in her throat as his tongue darted out quickly against her flesh. Finding himself captivated by everything about her, he trailed his kisses down to her shoulder before placing gentle kisses along her chest.

This was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He'd always enjoyed getting to know a woman's body, but with Buffy he wanted to know every single inch of skin, every place that made her moan, and every spot that made her open her mouth in that silent scream… Right where her neck meets her shoulder, he realized and having found one of her erogenous zones only encouraged him further. He placed hot, wet kisses there and she squirmed underneath him moaning ever so slightly.

"Angel," she whimpered and it didn't escape him that only moments ago she'd had him under her, a quivering mess, and now she'd given him complete control. "Angel, please," she breathed in a whisper and although he wasn't sure what she was asking for he knew what he wanted. He sat up slightly, pulling her with him while running his hands up her back. He found the zipper and he unzipped it slowly, his eyes locked on hers the whole time. His fingers brushed against her skin as he lowered the zipper and she bit her lip to keep from moaning out loud. Once he had it unzipped he laid her back on the bed, loving the way her hair fell around her. God, she was gorgeous.

He felt his body react, but he knew he was only just getting started. He had so much he wanted to do with her. As he hovered over her he teasingly slid down one strap of her dress, bending to kiss the skin where the fabric had just been. When her hips shifted under him he moved to the other strap doing to the same. She was breathing hard, and it was so damn beautiful he had to lean down and kiss her. Their lips met in a scorching kiss and she moaned into his mouth. She was getting impatient, and he loved it.

Never removing his mouth from hers, he began to lower her dress, easily pushing it down her body and over her hips. She kicked it off and he heard it land softly on the floor, but he knew there was no way in hell he was letting her get dressed again tonight. He tore his lips from hers and as he pulled back he let out a harsh groan at the sight in front of him. It had been on his mind all night and now he knew. She wasn't wearing a bra under that dress. Almost without thought, he brought his hands up to cup her breasts and she arched up into his palms.

"Angel," she gasped and he began massaging her. Her eyes fluttered shut and he squeezed gently before brushing his thumbs lightly over her nipples. He watched her teeth sink into her bottom lip and when her eyes opened he saw an undeniable want in her gaze. Unable to hold back, he leaned down to capture her lips in a hot kiss. Her tongue sought out his immediately. As her back arched off the bed, her breasts rubbed against his chest and he groaned into the kiss. He tore his lips violently from hers and was captivated by her heaving chest. It was her nails digging into his skin that spurred him into further action.

When he placed soft kisses around her breasts Buffy felt herself squirming underneath him. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt like this. She didn't think she'd ever get enough of this man. The things he could do with his hands and his lips…

A whimper escaped her as his tongue slid against the underside of her breasts. He was so damn good at this. Her fingers clutched his shoulders tightly as her hips involuntarily thrust up towards his. She was slowly losing her mind with his teasing kisses, but then he took one of her hard peaks into his mouth and began sucking gently.

"Yes Angel," she moaned while holding his head to her chest. "Oh god," she mumbled as his tongue darted out quickly to tease her. One of his large hands slowly ran down her side as he kissed his way over to her other breast before giving it the same treatment. She hooked one foot around his calf as he pulled back and blew on her breasts, still wet from his saliva.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered as his hands flitted briefly over her chest before he worked his way down her body. She was breathless under him as his tongue trailed down her stomach. His hands followed, and he couldn't get enough of her soft, tanned skin. He dipped his tongue teasingly into her belly button, and when she gasped loudly and arched off the bed he knew he'd discovered another one of her sensitive spots.

Smiling to himself, he licked a slow circle around her belly button and flicked his tongue in and out of it. When he caught the scent of her arousal his fingers tightened on her body, but he knew he couldn't wait much longer himself. He slowly worked his way down and smoothed his hands along her hips. Her eyes met his when he glanced upwards and he saw all he needed to in her gaze.

"Angel, please," she begged and in response he placed light kisses along her inner thighs. "I can't wait anymore," she admitted and when he nipped her skin experimentally she let out a loud moan that only encouraged him. His fingers ran along the hem of her panties and she glared at him even as he gave her a seductive smile. Before she could protest, he'd lowered his mouth to her, using his tongue to tease her with the lace. He pushed it up inside her folds and she cried out, but he moved on just as quickly as he'd started.

This time his tongue tapped lightly against her clit, then once more firmly, still all through the lace. His hands slid around to cup her firm bottom as his tongue made hard circles around her clit. He could feel her hips working against his hands and it was turning him on to no end. When he caught her panties between his teeth he pulled them away from her slightly before releasing them and letting them fall back against her sensitive flesh.

"Take them off," she pleaded desperately and he slid his fingers up to her hips and under her panties. "Please Angel. Now, I-FUCK!" she cried out as he snapped the elastic with just his fingers and pulled them away from her body. He flung them to the floor, unbelievably turned on by her reaction. He ran two fingers lightly over her sex, his eyes crossing in passion when he felt how wet she was. She could feel his short nails biting into the skin of her hips and her toes curled in anticipation.

"Damn baby, you're _dripping_ _wet_," he husked out and the next thing she knew his tongue had plunged inside her. She let out a soft scream when his hands on her hips pushed her harder against his mouth. His tongue lapped up and down the length of her. One of her hands shot down and clenched onto his hair holding his head close to her. A shudder passed through her body when his tongue circled her clit.

He groaned as his tongue delved inside of her. Her hips were reckless under his hands and it was so enticing he could barely contain himself, but at the same time he was practically salivating at the thought of her coming on his tongue. His eyes flickered up to hers and he saw her head thrown back in ecstasy. From this angle he could see some glitter still sticking to her chest from the midnight glitter explosion and he smiled against her. She was perfect. His upper lip brushed the sensitive bundle of nerves and she moaned loudly, thrusting upwards towards him. Her nails raked against his scalp as she worked her hips shamelessly against his mouth.

"Angel," she gasped when his thumbs brushed softly against her outer folds. "Oh god Angel, yes!" she hissed in pleasure as he slipped two fingers inside of her while sucking insistently on her sensitive clit. "Angel, on my-" she was cut off by her own scream as his tongue tapped her swollen bud. His long fingers still stroked inside her, and the combination of sensations was proving to be too much. "Please," she whimpered as her fingers curled desperately in his hair. "Don't stop," she begged and he chuckled against her.

"Never," he promised in a husky voice that had her opening her eyes to meet his. When their gazes locked, they could each see that there was more to this than just spur of the moment lust. The way he stared so reverently at her body or kissed her so sweetly had already been proof, but if she'd had any doubt then it was gone now. And if he'd been curious about her intentions, then seeing her breath catch in her throat at his touch and seeing her body respond to his on so many levels soothed his mind. They were together on this, all the way.

She let out a ragged breath as his fervent strokes brought her closer to the edge. He could feel her beginning to clench around his fingers and he increased his pace. He bit down on her clit and when she let out a shuddering moan he knew she was close. Slowly he pulled his fingers out and she whimpered in protest until he replaced them with his tongue. His eyes squeezed shut on a harsh groan when he tasted her all over again. She was fucking decadent. He trailed one hand up her stomach, stopping to teasingly dip one finger in her belly button. With a loud scream she nearly flew off the bed. God, he _loved_ that she was so sensitive there. The thumb of his free hand rubbed her clit in hard circles while his tongue pushed in and out of her. Her pleas were no more than incoherent ramblings now and in mere seconds he felt a mindless rush of wetness over his tongue. She let out a screaming gasp as she came against his mouth and he'd be damned if he didn't hear his name escape her lips.

He licked her gently, bringing her down slowly until she was whimpering softly and he crawled back up her body. He took in the look of her flushed face and her glazed eyes and he swore he'd never seen anything more beautiful. She was breathing heavily and he was overcome by the emotions he felt rush through him. If he could spend the rest of his nights with her, her skin under his fingertips and his name on her lips, he'd be a happy man. He brushed some hair off her face and her hands wrapped around his neck.

"Kiss me," she whispered and he didn't waste a second before his mouth was on hers, his tongue sweeping inside. Her hands glided down his smooth shoulders and she pulled his body down until it was flush against hers. He was still supporting his own weight, but they were chest to chest, skin to skin, and he'd never felt anything so sensual or erotic. He couldn't help but grind his hips into hers, and she moaned when she felt how hard he was. She broke the kiss and her head tilted back exposing her neck. Her hips undulated against his, rubbing his cock against her wet folds. She felt his lips place hot kisses along her throat, stopping to nip lightly whenever her fingers dug into his back. As one of his hands fell to her hip he knew he couldn't wait much longer.

"Buffy," he rasped against her skin, and he glanced up briefly as she looked at him.

"Angel," she whimpered as her only reply and he leaned back up to capture her lips in his.

"Mmm, Buffy," he murmured against her lips as he tangled one hand in her hair. "Do we n- Oh shit," he groaned as one of her legs wrapped around his waist. "Do we need…" he trailed off desperately hoping that he still had that condom in his wallet. He vaguely remembered seeing birth control pills in her bag when they'd been at her mother's over Christmas, but there was no way he was going to ask her to trust him that much this soon.

"I'm fine," she assured him and her hips tilted upwards of their own accord. "If you need-"

"No. No," he interrupted and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Buffy," he whispered before kissing her tenderly again. "Buffy, are you sure?" he breathed against her lips.

"God yes," she moaned and their eyes met. "Please Angel, I need you now," she begged and her gaze was filled with a wanton passion that sent shockwaves down his spine. Their eyes still locked, he slid inside of her and they both moaned at the feel of finally being joined.

"Jesus Buffy," he rasped out and he felt her nails biting into the skin of his back. "You feel fucking amazing," he groaned and she wrapped both her legs around his waist.

"Angel, yes," she moaned her hips arching upwards which only pulled him deeper inside of her. He pushed forward into her, amazed at how good she felt. She was tight, hot, wet, soft… Just so, so good. He pulled out and she whimpered in protest before he surged forwards again. His strokes were smooth and slow, and just not enough for Buffy. She was desperate to feel him lose control. She began to speak up, but her mind was blank as she felt his steel hard length moving inside of her. It was impossible to get words out so she brought both her palms to his chest and shoved him.

"Buffy," he gasped in surprise when she rolled them over. He slipped out of her in the process and groaned at the loss, but from this angle he could see and feel everything. He felt the way her fingernails dug into his chest. And he saw the desperation in her eyes right before she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. He grasped onto her hips, trying to grind her onto him even as her tongue forced its way into his mouth. Her hands ran up down his body, feeling the hard muscles of his stomach react to her touch. Unable to wait any more, she sat up and while resting her hands on his chest, sank slowly onto his stiff member. Her eyes fluttered shut when he was fully buried inside her, and her nails curled into his skin. She began to move above him, and his strong grip on her waist helped set a rhythm. A loud moan escaped her lips as she sped up her pace, rotating her hips against his. He was breathing heavily, the sight of her riding his cock just too fucking hot for words.

The high pitched cries coming from Buffy were more than enough to encourage him. His fingers slid up her body, squeezing her breasts in his hands. She arched into his palms, the pace of her hips increasing and Angel sat up. Buffy let out a soft scream at the change in angle inside her and then moaned when his lips closed around her nipple. Her hands now on his shoulders, she could feel her entire body beginning to tighten and coil with pleasure.

"Angel," she whimpered rotating her hips ruthlessly against his, desperately searching for friction. Releasing her nipple, he slid one hand in between them. He brought two fingers over her clit and rubbed hard. She moaned, her fingers spearing into his short hair as she moved faster above him. He could feel her starting to clench around him and he let out a groan at how damn good she felt. Her fingers tugged brutally on his hair as her walls contracted around him. Shuddering in his arms, she cried out shamelessly as he thrust upwards extending her orgasm. The ecstatic look on her face at the height of her pleasure and the soft incoherent whispers that flew out of her mouth after she came were devastatingly addictive to Angel. He would never get enough of this woman.

He rolled her underneath him and raised himself up with his hands on either side of her face. God, she was fucking gorgeous. Her skin was still flushed and her eyes were slightly glazed over, but her legs wound around his waist at the exact moment he slid deep inside her. Her nails dug into the backs of his shoulders, and Angel felt a primal urge to make sure nobody else ever satisfied her like this. He watched her eyes flutter shut and her back arched when he thrust harder into her. He felt himself growing even harder inside of her, but he refused to let go until she was with him. When her nails left angry scratches down his back he felt it all the way to his core, and it only turned him on more.

"Please Angel," he heard her beg and he groaned as his fists clenched on the sheets. He tried to regain his control, but he was quickly unraveling. She was wrapped around him in every way and he was pushing into her so damn hard…

"Come on, Buffy," he pleaded almost subconsciously, but when he saw her teeth bite into her bottom lip he nearly groaned. Did she like it when he talked to her? "Just let it go, baby," he urged and when she moaned he knew he'd discovered something he hadn't even dared to imagine. "I want to feel you come," he whispered in her ear and she buried her face in his shoulder, biting into it to stifle her scream. "Do you like that, baby?" he rasped even though he already knew her answer. Yeah, yeah, she fucking loved it. "Let go Buffy," he gritted out and she exploded around him with a gasping moan.

Feeling her drench around his cock was enough to push him over the edge. "Oh god, Buffy!" he exclaimed as he splintered inside of her releasing hot and long. His arms gave out and he collapsed on top of her and she clung tightly to his shoulders. They were both breathing hard, but he had the presence of mind to roll them over until she was resting on top of him. He could feel her breath on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and he buried his face in her hair.

"I don't think I can move," Buffy mumbled and Angel's lips spread into a lazy smile.

"You're incredible," he replied and she tilted her head up to look at him. He bent down and kissed her lightly before settling back against the pillows.

"Did I mention I love New Year's Eve?" she asked and he chuckled while wrapping both arms around her and pulling her onto his chest.

"This year I'm going to have to agree," he replied and she gently pressed her lips to his while their legs tangled intimately.


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm sorry it took me a while to write this. I thought I'd get through more of the actual event of this chapter, but it turned out really long so you'll have to wait for the next chapter for the rest :) Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this. I had a pretty good time writing it. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.**

PART 13

Angel lay holding Buffy as she slept lightly on top of him, the sheet only covering her up to her waist. His fingers traced down the delicate curve of her spine and he let a small smile cross his face. He'd fallen for her so fast he hadn't seen it coming. That first night in the Bronze…that had been it for him. He played absentmindedly with her hair forcing himself to slow down his feelings. She wanted to be with him and there was clearly something between them, but he didn't know how deep her feelings went. After all, they'd known each other less than two weeks and she'd been engaged just hours before they'd met.

He let out a sigh as he realized he wouldn't be falling back asleep. They'd barely slept all night, each of them too desperate for the other's touch to stay away for very long. His mind quickly traveled back to a few hours ago when he'd awoken to her sucking him madly. She'd glanced up with wide eyes and declared she hadn't been able to wait anymore and he'd barely contained himself long enough to get buried deep inside her. His body hardened at the memory and he held back a groan. In all his fantasies she'd been…enthusiastic, but in reality, she was fucking wild.

"Angel?" he heard a soft murmur and he glanced down to see Buffy stirring slightly.

"Hi Baby," he mumbled, his voice hoarse from sleep also. "Good morning," he said and when she smiled against him Angel felt an answering smile take over his face. "Did you sleep well?" he asked and she rested her chin on his chest.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," she raised her eyebrow and he chuckled, loving how at ease he felt with her. "Do you have anywhere you need to be today?" she wanted to know and when he nodded she looked at him surprised. "Where?"

"Dinner, with you," he answered with a smile as he tucked some hair behind her ear. "I'm taking you out on a real date," he declared and she shook her head.

"You don't have to do that, Angel," she told him but he shrugged.

"Maybe not, but I'm going to," he replied and she felt her heart flutter in her chest. "And we're going to do everything like a real first date. I'm going to pick you up, take you-"

"If you pick me up, that involves you leaving this house," she pointed out and he smirked at her.

"I want to pick you up," he insisted as his hands slid slowly over her back. "Bring you flowers, tell you how beautiful you look…" he trailed off and she let out a playfully exasperated sigh.

"We've already done that," she reminded him even though she was already mentally going through her closet.

"Yeah, but it wasn't a date," he shrugged and she could see in his eyes how much this meant to him. "I didn't get to hold your hand or kiss you goodnight," he finished in a voice barely above a whisper. Her heart caught in her throat as she realized how badly she wanted this for them too. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his gently.

His tongue easily parted her lips while his hand slid to the back of her head. He loved having her in his arms, feeling the slight weight of her on top of him. Pressing her closer to him, he heard her sigh into his mouth. Finally he pulled away, lightly brushing his thumb along her bottom lip even as she smirked slightly.

"This date better not end with just a goodnight kiss," she warned and he growled playfully before flipping her over and showering her neck with wet, open mouthed kisses.

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Angel walked quietly into the kitchen hoping he wouldn't make too much noise and wake Buffy. He ran a hand through his mussed hair and smirked to himself. He hadn't even been able to find his shirt when he was getting dressed. He assumed it must be tangled in the covers somewhere on the floor, but he didn't want to disturb Buffy so he figured just the pants would have to do.

He headed towards the fridge when something on the counter caught his eye. The ice cream carton from last night had rolled into the sink and there was chocolate fudge mint chip slowly melting down the drain. Bending over to the floor to pick up the spoon, he set it in the sink next to the ice cream carton. He was going to have to buy her some more chocolate fudge mint chip. A lot more.

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Buffy woke up and frowned when she reached out and found only cold sheets. Distantly she heard noises downstairs and she realized Angel had woken up before her. With a smile she noticed the sheet was pulled all the way to her chin. She remembered he'd told her he was taking her on a date and then they'd somehow made their way to the shower, which led them back to the bed. When they'd fallen asleep afterwards, the sheets had been tangled at their feet, but she knew he'd covered her with it when he'd gotten up. He knew she liked that.

He was so good to her it made her chest ache. In only a couple weeks he knew more about her than Riley ever even wanted to know, let alone took the time to learn. Angel seemed to instinctively know her. He could anticipate her moods and emotions better than she could herself.

And then last night he'd proven himself more than capable of learning her body. She'd lost count of how many times he'd been inside her, let alone how many times he'd made her come. And god, did he. She felt her skin tingling as she remembered how it felt when he had his hands on her. Or his lips. Those amazingly kissable lips. Maybe she should go find him…

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He stirred the pancake mix and glanced back towards the sink. Still melting. How long did it take for ice cream to melt? Shaking his head, he turned back to the bowl in front of him. He didn't know how Buffy liked her pancakes, but he knew Buffy and he was willing to take a guess. He was pouring the chocolate chips into the mix when he heard soft footsteps down the stairs.

"Angel?" she called and he smiled slightly before turning around. When his eyes landed on her, the chocolate chips, bag and all, fell from his hand landing with a plop in the pancake mix.

"Shit," he hissed spinning back to the bowl and pulling it out while trying not to get his fingers in the mix. He finally grabbed the bag, and set it on the counter to be cleaned up later. There were going to be too many chocolate chips in the pancakes, but if she didn't like that then she shouldn't come into the kitchen wearing nothing but his shirt. _His_ shirt.

Slowly he turned back to Buffy who had an amused smile on her face, but he couldn't form words at the moment. His black button down shirt had never looked so good. She was so small she had to roll the sleeves way up, and even though she had buttoned every button, it still showed plenty of her cleavage. And the way it hit her at mid-thigh was just so fucking hot.

"Buffy," he groaned and she sauntered towards him as he clenched the edge of the counter behind him. He was a grown man. He could control himself. He could keep his hands to himself at least through breakfast, right? But when her arms slid around his neck and her body pressed against his, he lost the internal battle. His hands settled on her hips making sure she didn't back away.

"When I woke up you weren't there," she whispered just millimeters from his lips. As he leaned in to kiss her, she moved before their lips met, instead trailing kisses up his jawline. "I don't really like waking up alone," she told him and his eyes fell shut. His mind was spinning. He couldn't concentrate with her…there and everything.

"I wanted to make you breakfast. O-or maybe lunch at this rate," he mumbled since it was already midday.

"Hmm," she murmured as she teased his earlobe. One of her hands ran down his back before she kissed back down to his mouth. Placing a short, but oh so hot kiss on his lips, she held up the empty chocolate chip bag. "Doesn't seem very nutritious," she pointed out with a raised brow. With a frustrated groan, he yanked the bag out of her hand and threw it aimlessly behind him onto the counter.

"Yeah, well that's your fault," he accused before crushing her lips to his. She moaned as his tongue pushed its way into her mouth and his hand on the small of her back held her body flush against his. He was already hard and his body was screaming for her touch. Her hands kneaded the muscles of his shoulders while he impatiently unbuttoned the top button of the shirt she had on. He immediately brushed it aside to expose the skin of her neck and shoulder. "You're so damn beautiful," he groaned and she tilted her head to give him better access.

"Angel," she whispered as she felt her knees weakening from the feel of his lips. God, his touch could just make her _melt._ He slid one hand down her hip and under the hem of her-well _his-_shirt. A sigh escaped his mouth as he felt the smooth skin under his fingertips. His touch on her thigh was teasing, barely there, and he bit back a groan at the sting of her fingernails digging into his shoulders. He'd seen the angry scratches she'd made on him last night, and she was back at it again, but he didn't care. He loved that he could get her so out of control that her nails actually broke skin. Obviously he was doing something right.

When his teeth sank into the flesh of her upper breast, her hand speared into his hair with a gasp. She held him close and he could both feel and hear the moans coming from her. It was a heady sensation, and those sounds coming from her mouth were the sexiest thing he'd ever experienced. While threading one hand through her tangled locks, he ran the other farther under the shirt. Sliding it slowly up her thigh, he stopped at her hip, a loud groan escaping his mouth when he encountered nothing but skin.

"Fuck Buffy, you're not wearing anything under this?" he rasped but his mouth was on hers before she had a chance to answer. He kissed her ravenously, desperately, and she kissed him back with the same urgency. She bit down roughly on his lip and a growl broke from his chest. If she didn't want to wait, then fine. His hands forcefully grabbed her hips. Lifting her, he spun her around and set her on the counter. Her mouth fell open in shock, but he stepped in between her legs, his hands quickly undoing the rest of the buttons on her shirt. He had to see her… "You are the most sinfully seductive thing I have ever seen," he gritted out and he heard her breath hitch at his words.

"Then DO something about it," she challenged using her legs to pull him towards her. She shoved her hips forward on the counter until her center collided with the hard bulge in his pants. He had to bury his face in the crook of her neck to smother his groan. They were right where they were twelve hours ago, but now he _knew. _He knew what she tasted like, what it felt like to be inside her, surrounded by her…and his body was tight with tension at the memories. He gripped the edge of the counter until his knuckles were white. He had to control himself. He couldn't just ravage her like a goddam animal.

She could see the muscles in his arms working as he tried to hold himself back. When would he get that she didn't want him to hold back? She wanted to feel him lose control. She could only imagine all the unleashed power in that body.

"Fuck me now, Angel," she begged and his eyes flew up to hers as she undid his pants. Freeing his erection she stroked him firmly a few times and his eyes snapped shut at the feel of her fingers wrapped around him.

"Buffy," he ground out as he grabbed her wrist and forced it back to her side.

"Angel, get inside me," she ordered, but he was hesitant. He was worried she might be sore after last night. He'd taken her a little rougher than he'd intended to a few times. And he knew if he gave in now he'd be fucking her hard and fast. "NOW," she added leaving no room for him to object. He captured her bottom lip between his, nibbling lightly as he snuck one hand between her thighs. One of his fingers darted out to make sure she was ready for him.

"Damn, Baby," he muttered into her mouth when he felt how wet she was. She _wanted_ this. Who was he to deny her, he rationalized. Pulling her a little closer to the edge of the counter he positioned himself at her entrance. He thrust hard, filling her with one stroke, and she let out a loud cry.

"Yes, Angel," she breathed as he pulled almost all the way out before slamming back in. "Oh god, yes," she moaned mindlessly and he felt the familiar bite of her nails on his back.

"Dammit Buffy," he murmured as his palm crashed against the cabinet by her head. Every time she moved her hips against his in that circular pattern he felt his control take a hit. "It shouldn't be like this," he gasped, although his thrusts never lost their frantic rhythm. Finally his mouth fell to her neck. He had to kiss her, taste her…

"Yes it should," she insisted breathlessly as she felt everything inside of her tightening. "Now don't you dare stop," she ordered as he continued driving hard into her as he realized wasn't sure there would be a way for him to stop even if she wanted him to. And that thought terrified him.

"I-I can't," he admitted and his hand clenched around her hip as he felt himself close to the edge. He wasn't going to survive this.

"Angel," he heard her whimper, but she sounded far away. He was so far gone…

He pushed into her blindly, wildly, and he felt his release gathering fast. Too fast. He couldn't hold back as he pounded himself into her, and he groaned when he felt her walls rapidly contracting around him. Her screams pushed him over the edge and he exploded inside of her.

Angel's eyes were still shut, shocked by what he had just let happen. Gently he pulled back, slipping from her, and his breath hitched when he saw her face. She looked so damn satisfied. In fact, she looked more satisfied than she had all night. He should be worshiping her and making love to her, not fucking her on the counter. They would have to talk about that, but not now. Not when things were so new and they were both so hot for each other one touch could set them on fire.

"So, pancakes?" Angel squeaked out and Buffy grinned as she met his eyes.

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"Will you at least tell me where you're taking me this time?" she asked and he shook his head with a wide smile. "Please Angel! I won't know what to wear," she pointed out. "You have no idea what I went through last time."

"You always look beautiful, Buffy," he assured her, but he could see by the pout on her face that she wasn't satisfied with his answer. "Fine," he sighed and when she looked at him expectantly he couldn't help but place a light kiss on her lips. "I won't tell you where, but it's nice. And not the same place as last time," he added and she smiled.

"So what will _you_ be wearing?" she questioned, her voice full of suggestion, and his eyes widened slightly.

"Buffy, behave!" he admonished. They had both decided they would abstain for the next hour or so until he left so they could get ready for their date.

"I just want to know so I can dress appropriately," she replied innocently and he shook his head with a sigh. This girl was _so_ dangerous.

"A suit. I'll be wearing a suit," he told her and she grinned.

"So…that means a tie, right?" she asked and she seemed far too interested in that question for his liking.

"Yes, I'll be wearing a tie," he said and when he saw a flicker of desire in her eyes he silently vowed to buy another dozen ties before the weekend.

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He knocked on her door, flowers in one hand, chocolates in the other. He was such a fucking cliché and he knew it, but he'd brought her flowers before and that hadn't been an official date so he figured he had to outdo that, right? His heart was practically beating out of his chest he was so nervous, and he felt ridiculous. Obviously his feelings were reciprocated, so what could go wrong? He'd spent a lot of time with this girl, hell he'd slept with her, but a date…

The door opened slowly and his heart nearly stopped when he took in the sight of her. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen her in blue before, and that was a crime. She was always gorgeous, and he wasn't sure if it was the knowledge that tonight was an official date or what, but something felt different to him.

"Hi Angel," she smiled and he felt an answering smile cross his face as well. When she stepped aside to let him in, he made a promise to himself. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure she never forgot this night. This date was going to be perfect.

"You look incredible, Baby," he told her, his voice barely above an awed whisper when he spoke. He saw the blush consume her cheeks, and he was mesmerized. Holding out the flowers, he gave her a small smile when she took them.

"Thank you Angel," she said sincerely and she turned away so he wouldn't see her blush deepen further. "I'll go put these in water," she told him and he followed her into the kitchen. She grabbed a vase from a cabinet and began to fill it in the sink, but he was entranced by the way her body moved. She was so graceful and so beautiful. The flowers were in water before he knew it and she turned back to him. "Are those for me too?" she asked knowingly as she gestured to the chocolates in his hand.

"Of course," he replied smoothly as he opened the box and offered them to her. She picked one out and popped it into her mouth, and Angel immediately regretted his decision. He fumbled to put the lid back on as he watched her lips move over the candy. Quickly closing the distance between them, he kissed her, forcing himself to hold back most of the desire he felt when he tasted the hint of chocolate on her tongue. When her arms circled his neck, he reached out and set the chocolates on the counter. He needed _her_ in his arms, not chocolates.

But as soon as he let go, the box fell to the floor. Buffy and Angel flew away from each other at the noise and he looked at the mess on the floor in horror. The lid had come off and half of the chocolate had spilled onto the floor.

"Shit Buffy, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed running a hand through his hair. How could he be so damn careless? He was supposed to be a gentleman, and gentlemen did NOT throw their girlfriends' presents on the floor!

"It's fine Angel," she assured him with a smile as she bent down to pick up the box. "Most of them are still in the box anyways," she pointed out but he still felt terrible. He began to pick up the pieces that had fallen out and rolled around the floor and he hated himself more with each candy he grabbed. That was not the beginning of a perfect date.

"I'm still sorry," he repeated when they had cleaned it all up but she shook her head and rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Don't worry about it," she told him placing a soft kiss on his lips. "Should we get going?" she asked and he nodded knowing they were already a few minutes late for their reservation. He'd had trouble getting ready. He hadn't been able to pick out a tie.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry I missed the exit, Buffy," he said again and she held back laughter at his serious demeanor. He acted like he'd just committed one of the seven deadly sins. He'd missed the exit because she'd been distracting him with teasing words and touches. And, she admitted to herself, she might have felt a little rejected if he hadn't missed the exit. "We're going to be late and-"

"It's not a problem Angel," she told him and he could tell she meant it. It didn't seem like she cared, but he hoped the restaurant would be so forgiving that they were going to be almost an hour late.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I-I know we're late, but we got lost," Angel fibbed as he spoke to the host, practically begging him to honor their reservation. "Please."

"I'm sorry, Sir," the host replied and Angel closed his eyes in frustration. "There's nothing I can do. It's restaurant policy to give away a party's table if-"

"Angel it's fine," Buffy said as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "We can go somewhere else," she assured him but he sighed. No they couldn't go somewhere else. This was the restaurant he'd been planning on taking her to for their first date since that day on her couch. He'd pictured her here in the soft candlelight, and ever since he'd gotten the image in his mind he couldn't get rid of it.

"Look," Angel said turning back towards the host and dropping his voice so Buffy couldn't hear. He spotted a ring on the host's hand and hoped he could appeal to his romantic side. "This is my first real date with this girl. You've gotta help me look good here," he pleaded and he could see the man beginning to soften. "She won't care where we go," Angel added knowing it was the truth. "But I love this girl and I want this night to be perfect," he explained and the host sighed.

"I can try and squeeze in a table," he offered and Angel smiled in relief and nodded his thanks.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"See Angel, it all worked out," Buffy smiled brightly as they sat at the cramped table in the corner of the restaurant. It wasn't what he'd been planning, but he had to admit that she looked just as beautiful in the soft light as he had imagined.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed as he reached across the table to grab her small hand in his. She laced her fingers through his, and he brushed his thumb along the back of her hand. "I'm glad you agreed to come here with me," he said softly and he couldn't tell in the dim light, but he thought he saw her blush lightly.

"Of course I agreed Angel," she replied and he squeezed her hand gratefully. He still felt a little insecure knowing he'd fallen in love with her so quickly and she was still just getting to know him. "I mean, we've been talking about our first date for so long, it's about time we actually had it," she teased and he laughed lightly wondering how the hell he had ever been happy before he'd met her.

Before he could respond their waitress came and served them the drinks they had ordered a few minutes previously and Angel had to let go of Buffy's hand to make room on the small table. They ordered their food and after their waitress walked away he found himself staring as Buffy sipped her white wine. Their eyes met and he knew he'd been caught so he smiled sheepishly as she set her glass down.

"See something you like?" she asked in a low voice and he felt her suddenly bare foot sneaking up his ankle under the table. His eyes wide, he looked at her in shock and she only smiled knowingly.

"Buffy, stop it!" he hissed knowing there was no way in hell he'd ever get through dinner if she was starting this before the appetizers arrived.

"I'm not doing anything Angel," she countered innocently and he shifted his chair slightly to the side and hastily moved his place setting with him. It was a small table, but at least she'd have to angle herself if she wanted to try that again. He glanced up at her while moving his silverware, but it wasn't until it was too late that he saw his fatal mistake. There was a soft clink as his fork collided with the bottom of her wine glass and in seconds it had tipped over and spilled onto her lap.

"Buffy!" he exclaimed standing up slightly as he saw her brush her legs off in shock and then wipe them off with the napkin. "I'm so sorry, Baby," he rushed out in a panic as he handed her his napkin even though he was pretty sure it wouldn't help.

"It's okay Angel," she told him but he sighed as she stood up and he saw the wine dripping down her legs. If he hadn't felt so guilty, the sight might have been a turn on.

"I'm sorry," he repeated and she gave him a reassuring smile before resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Most of it missed the dress anyway," she pointed out and he saw she was right. Most of the wine had spilled on her bare legs. "I'm just going to go to the bathroom to clean this up," she told him and he nodded, still too shocked at his lack of coordination to do anything else. As she walked away he slowly sank back down into his chair, his head falling into his hands.

"Dammit," he muttered under his breath wondering when this night had turned into a complete disaster. This was supposed to be the perfect date. He'd be lucky if she ever spoke to him again. "I'm such an asshole."

"I thought you might need these," he heard and he looked up to see their waitress smiling at him with two fresh napkins and a fresh glass of Buffy's wine.

"Thanks," he said as the waitress set them on the table.

"Rough night?" she questioned and he sighed.

"You have no idea," he told her and she gave him a sympathetic smile.

"First date?" she asked and he nodded. "Well, it seems to be going…well," she offered optimistically and he glanced up at her with narrow eyes and she chuckled. "Okay, maybe not well," she conceded and he let out another sigh. "But she seems interested. Did you two just meet?" she wanted to know and Angel hesitated.

No, we were engaged.

"We've known each other about two weeks," he told her instead and she nodded.

"Well, if you've known each other that long spilling her drink won't ruin things," she assured him and he let out a humorless laugh.

"What about throwing her chocolates on the floor, missing our reservation, AND spilling her drink on her?" he asked and he saw the waitress wince slightly before recovering.

"At least you brought her chocolates," she tried and he shook his head. "Most guys do flowers."

"I did that too," he admitted and when she laughed he couldn't help but laugh slightly at how pathetic he was. Angel glanced towards the bathroom door wondering when she'd be returning. Then a horrible thought struck him. What if she snuck out? He certainly wouldn't blame her.

"You really like her," the waitress stated rather than asked and he looked back up at her.

"You have no idea," he murmured and she held up her left hand to show an engagement ring. "Alright maybe you do," he shrugged and she smiled before she caught sight of the blond heading back towards the table.

"Well, she's on her way back. And I recommend the strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Very romantic," she winked and he nodded.

"We'll take it," he replied immediately and she scribbled it down before walking away. Angel breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw Buffy making her way back to the table looking fairly dry. He stood up and pulled her chair out for her and she smiled up at him.

"So is this display of chivalry guilt for spilling my drink or for flirting with the waitress?" she asked, but he didn't notice the way her eyes sparkled.

"Buffy, I-no, that, I didn't," he insisted, a look of terror crossing his face before Buffy raised an arm to rest her palm on the side of his face.

"I was teasing Angel," she assured him and he shook his head.

"Don't give me a heart attack like that," he begged but instead she pulled his head down and gave him a light kiss. Her lips seemed to soothe him and when he pulled back he smiled down at her. "Thank you," he whispered and she gave him another soft peck before nodding and sitting back in the chair.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The rest of the dinner passed without incident and Angel had never been so grateful for an uneventful meal in his life. If one more thing went wrong tonight he didn't think they'd be able to salvage the night. He'd already thought it was a lost cause when he'd spilled her own drink on her, but then she'd come back smiling and happy and he'd fallen in love with her all over again.

When the cheesecake was placed in between them with two forks, Angel saw Buffy's eyes light up. He grinned at her expression when her eyes darted up to meet his.

"When did you order this?" she exclaimed excitedly and he chuckled, his heart soaring as he reveled in the fact that he had done something good tonight. "It's delicious," she gushed as she swallowed the first bite and his smile widened. Sliding his fork into the other side of the cheesecake he glanced up at Buffy.

"Well it's no chocolate fudge mint chip," he smirked and he was relieved when she grinned back in response. "But it'll do," he told her as he picked up one of the strawberries and held it out for her. With a teasing smile she took a bite out of it, her tongue sneaking out to lick his thumb lightly. Oh yeah, he thought. It'll do just fine.


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm SO sorry it took me so long to update. I had a HUGE project due, but it's FINALLY done! I haven't even been able to write for last couple weeks I've been so busy with that project. But like I said, it's over, so we should be back to fairly consistent updates. I really appreciate all the reviews and readers who stuck with it!**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter. It's pretty long to make up for the wait. Please let me know what you think. I worried I lost touch a little taking so much time between writing chapters.  
**

PART 14

Angel stepped out of the car, hurrying over to the passenger side to open the door for Buffy. She grinned at him as she saw the playground behind him and he smiled while taking her hand. Shutting the car door behind her he led her towards the swings. There was a slight breeze in the night air, and without a second thought Angel shrugged out of his suit jacket and draped it over Buffy's shoulders.

"Thank you," she said softly and he leaned down to press his lips against hers. He intended for it to be a gentle kiss, but when her tongue traced his bottom lip he found himself pulling her closer. He couldn't resist deepening the kiss even further, and that was when it hit him.

He really never was going to get enough of her. She'd ruined him for anybody else ever. She was the only one who would ignite this kind of fire inside of him. The only one he ever wanted make smile or laugh. And definitely the only one he wanted to see at the end of the day…

"This has been the best night of my life," she whispered and his heart soared when he saw the complete honesty in her eyes. "And I know you think a lot of things went wrong, but all I care about is that I was with you," she told him and he rested his forehead against hers. That had been the exact thing he'd needed to hear tonight. He needed to know she felt the same way and that he hadn't blown it with this date that was admittedly, over the top.

"You're perfect," he murmured and she smiled before he captured her lips again. He had just threaded his fingers through her hair when an unfamiliar voice broke the spell that was around them.

"Are you bloody serious?" a man asked in his British accent and Angel felt Buffy stiffen as she recognized the voice.

"Spike," she greeted evenly and Angel's entire body flood with anger. This was the son of a bitch who had been giving her a hard time.

"So you've found a new fag to shag," he stated and Angel couldn't help but step up so he was next to Buffy rather than letting her stand alone in front of him.

"You were the one who told me repeatedly that a fag meant cigarette," Buffy countered and Spike shrugged.

"Trying to assimilate, luv. You were the one always wanting me to change," he retorted and Buffy rolled her eyes. "Me, I'm not one for self-improvement."

"Obviously," Angel snorted and Spike's eyebrows rose at the comment from the dark stranger to Buffy's side.

"Oh so the _new_ boy toy can speak. At least that's a step up from Farmboy," he smirked and Buffy sighed and placed a hand on Angel's back. She could feel the tension in his body. "Speaking of the lad, where is your doting fiancé?"

"Spike…" Buffy warned but he continued on.

"You trade him in for a newer, better model? You did it once before," he reminded her, holding his arms out to the sides as if he were on display. "Although in this case," Spike continued as he looked Angel up and down. "_He_ actually _is_ a better model. Well done, mate," he said addressing Angel. "You're officially a step up from Fishboy," he told him and Angel wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.

"Why don't you just leave us alone?" Buffy snapped.

"I was never too good at letting you go, pet," Spike chuckled and Angel's fists clenched at his sides. He had not needed the verbal reminder of what Spike had done.

"What are you doing here?" Angel snarled, and Spike held up his hands in mock surrender.

"I'm just meeting my new girl. She has a thing for playgrounds," he commented and Angel shook his head not sure if he believed Spike or not. Seriously, who bleached their hair like that? "I don't mind you two sticking around though," he assured them kindly. "My girl's a little nutty, but she'd welcome two good looking people like you."

"Spike," Angel growled as he realized the implication of Spike's words.

"Hey!" Spike retorted innocently. "I was just offering. I know Buffy likes to play and…experiment," he leered and Angel glanced towards Buffy whose expression was a cross between embarrassment and hatred. "Never could understand how Captain Cardboard could satisfy her. Girl's got a wild streak."

"You son of a bitch," Angel rasped out, his feet carrying him before he could think. In seconds he had grabbed Spike by the collar of his shirt and hauled him up against a tree. Angel was filled with loathing for Spike and himself because just earlier that morning he'd been thinking the same thing about Buffy. She was wild. And he hated that he'd shared any of the same thoughts as this sorry excuse for a man.

"I speak the truth," Spike smirked knowing he had struck a chord when Angel's fist was suddenly colliding with the blond man's face. His head cracked against the tree, but he reacted quickly and shoved Angel away, effectively blocking his next punch. "We all know I'm right," Spike bellowed when he threw a punch that connected hard with Angel's jaw. "She's up for anything."

"Almost anything, Spike," Buffy stated quietly and Spike suddenly stopped, his fist frozen in midair. Both men looked over to find Buffy looking at them seriously and they stepped back. Spike wiped some blood from his lower lip and Angel wondered if he should feel guilty. He could see the way Buffy had her arms crossed against her chest and he knew something was wrong. There was something he didn't know.

"This one can fight, luv," Spike nodded towards Angel who glared angrily in his direction. Before any of them could go any further, another voice interrupted their thoughts.

"Mmmm Spike," they heard a singsong voice call out before a dark haired girl entered the playground. "Miss Edith loves the seesaw," she told him happily and Spike forced a smile. Angel glanced over at the couple and his mouth fell open in shock.

"Dru?" he asked and when she looked over her eyes widened in shock.

"My Angel!" she cooed dancing to a song only she could hear. "Hmmmmm, the birds. The birds are so lovely tonight."

"You _know_ her?" Buffy whispered and Angel shrugged helplessly.

"I dated her my first year of college," he explained.

"You dated _her_?" Buffy questioned as the woman twirled her doll around like a child.

"She wasn't, like _this_ then," he insisted and Buffy raised an eyebrow. "She was always a _little…_off, but not like this. I swear," he told her and when they glanced back they saw her moaning while clutching her head.

"Spike, my head," she moaned. "My head is swimming with pictures of little boys and girls like fishes in the sea where the water sparkles and sand washes away. Take me home, Spike."

"Sure thing, pet," he agreed and shrugged back in the direction of Buffy and Angel. "I told you she was a bit nutty." Without another word Spike and Drusilla left the playground leaving Buffy and Angel in an uncomfortable silence.

When Angel looked over at her he could see she was upset and trying hard not to show it. He took a step closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She was tense and he suddenly hated himself for making the situation worse. He shouldn't have let Spike provoke him like that.

"I'm sorry Baby," he whispered pulling her into his chest where she wearily rested her head.

"You don't have to be sorry," she told him and he sighed placing a kiss on the top of her head. "It's not your fault. Spike just always had a way of making me feel stupid."

"You are not stupid," he shook his head and she pulled back with a shrug.

"Well he always told me Riley was an idiot and it took me months to see that for myself," she pointed out. "He's good at reading people, I'll give him that. He sized you up in about ten seconds."

"What do you mean?" Angel asked. He gently slid his hand along her back over the material of his suit jacket and her eyes met his.

"You are a step up from Riley," she said seriously as her fingers absentmindedly played with the fabric of his tie. "A big, big step. I'm on a whole new floor now," she continued and he swallowed thickly. He couldn't help but lean down and kiss her. His tongue parted her lips easily and she brought one hand up to his jaw. "I'm sorry he hit you," she whispered as she pulled back, her eyes full of concern.

"I'm okay," he assured her despite the fact that there was a constant ache in his jaw from where Spike had punched him. But he could handle the pain. What he couldn't handle was seeing her so upset.

"Spike wanted to see how far you would go for me," she explained and Angel nodded silently. He didn't tell her that all she'd had to do was ask and Spike wouldn't be breathing anymore. His fists clenched at the thought of Spike ever touching her and it wasn't until her hand ran into his hair that he took a deep breath to calm down. "I'm sorry you got into a fight because of me," she muttered quietly.

"How did you get him to stop?" Angel wanted to know and by the haunted look that came over her eyes he knew there was something she wasn't telling him. "When you said you were up for _almost_ anything he stopped," Angel reminded her and she swallowed, her hands falling to her sides as she turned slightly away from him. "Why?"

"I-it reminded him of something that he doesn't like to think about," she answered evasively but even she knew it was a weak response so she continued. "It triggers a memory of something he isn't proud of."

"Something that has to do with you," Angel stated rather than asked and she nodded slowly. Angel didn't miss it when she crossed her arms over her chest. Her fingers were clutching onto her own upper arms and he walked around her until he was directly in her line of sight. "Talk to me," he pleaded softly and she let out a deep breath, her eyes dropping to the floor.

"Angel…" she trailed off as she shook her head. She didn't think now was the time. Everything had been so perfect all night until Spike had shown up. It didn't seem fair that their date had to be ruined by something from her past, something she'd had no control over.

"Buffy," he prompted and he placed one of his fingers under her chin to tilt her head up until she was looking at him. "It's just me here, Buffy. Nobody else."

"Spike, he," she began but then sighed. "After he'd been…harassing me for a while I decided to talk to him, maybe help him get closure or something," she explained and Angel listened patiently. "I told him I didn't care about him that way anymore and that I was interested in starting something with Riley. He didn't take it well and tried to convince me we belonged together," she said, stopping rather abruptly but Angel stepped forward again, suddenly getting a very bad feeling about where this was going.

"What did he do?" Angel asked and Buffy closed her eyes briefly before opening them again.

"He…kissed me. He wouldn't let me go even when I told him to," she said quietly and Angel suddenly shoved his hands in his pockets as he began to anticipate what came next in the story. "He thought if we were together one more time he could convince me."

"You told me he never hurt you," Angel ground out, his fingers picking angrily at his cuticles even with his hands in his pockets.

"He didn't," she rushed to tell him. "I yelled at him," she told him and he glanced away as he swallowed. "I shoved him off me," she assured him but Angel's eyes narrowed.

"That guy works out, Buffy. He's strong!" Angel exclaimed, remembering how hard Spike had hit him a few minutes ago.

"He realized what he was doing and he stopped," she insisted but Angel ran a hand through his hair. He really should have killed that guy. "That was the last time I saw him for a while. He's gotten help since then."

"Yeah it shows," Angel muttered sarcastically and Buffy sighed.

"He's not a bad person Angel," she stated but when Angel scoffed Buffy walked closer to him. "He's a jerk, but he's not evil."

"He tried to force you," Angel murmured, barely able to say the words.

"It wasn't entirely his fault," Buffy replied and he looked at her and shook his head.

"Buffy that doesn't-"

"It wasn't exactly candlelight and roses while we were together, Angel," she interrupted quietly and she was surprised when there was no shock evident on Angel's face.

"It doesn't matter," Angel insisted. "A man should know. And if there's even the slightest doubt he should-" he stopped abruptly shaking his head violently. "That's not something you leave to guesswork," he said, his eyes finally softening as they landed on her.

"You're a good man, Angel," she said quietly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He clung to her waist, holding her tightly to him as he breathed in her scent. Dammit, this was NOT the way the night was supposed to go. "You know, Willow doesn't know what happened," she said with a small smile and for the first time all night she saw a true look of shock on his face.

"What, what do you mean?" he asked and she sighed.

"I never told her what happened that night I talked to Spike. She knew we talked, but…she would have wanted me to go to the cops," she explained and Angel nodded knowing she was right. "But I didn't want to ruin his life. I told him if he stayed away from me and got help I would leave him alone and he did so…"

"You never told Willow?" he clarified and Buffy shook her head.

"I never told anyone," she said quietly and the smile that spread across her face seemed to change her entire mood. "I guess I ended up telling you something nobody else knew after all," she mused and he kissed her lightly at the revelation. Maybe the night wasn't a total bust.

"Want to go home?" he asked ready to put the night behind them, but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes that he couldn't quite understand.

"Well, Willow's going to be at my house tonight," she told him and he nodded understanding that he wouldn't be able to stay over. Again, Willow had NOT been part of the plan for tonight. "So…"

"I can take a hint, Buffy," he assured her and reached for her hand to lead her to the car when she sighed in exasperation.

"Apparently you can't!" she exclaimed as she yanked a very confused Angel back towards her. "My place is out. But yours…" she trailed off as recognition dawned in his eyes.

A mental picture began to form of her in HIS bed, and the thought was practically enough for him to drag her to the car. He couldn't wait to see her hair fanned out on the pillow, that same pillow he slept on every night. And his bed would smell like her…oh hell yes.

"Come on," he replied as his eyes darkened in response. They hurried to the car and when they reached it he shoved her against the passenger door. He kissed her hard, his tongue immediately finding its way inside her mouth as she wound her fingers into his hair. He broke the kiss and looked down at her swollen lips, and leaned down once more. Kissing along her jaw he stopped when his lips were next to her ear. "I'm going to show you just how much better I am than Spike _and_ Riley in _every damn way,_" he husked out and she gasped before he pulled back and opened the door for her without another word.

Their eyes met and his were full of promises that made her weak in the knees. She climbed into his car, wondering how the hell she was going to wait until they got back to his place.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Angel unlocked his door and led Buffy inside with a hand on the small of her back. He took his suit jacket off her shoulders and draped it over the back of a chair as she smiled at him. Her arms wound around his neck and he immediately pulled her body close to his.

"You made a promise at the playground," she reminded him and half his mouth curved up in a smile as he leaned down to kiss her. When their lips met she let out a soft moan and she hungrily attacked his mouth. Their tongues collided and she didn't waste any time pushing him in the direction of his bedroom.

But when they reached the hallway he remembered what his room looked like when he'd left, and his eyes flew open. She couldn't see it like that. It was a mess. He pulled back from the kiss and took a small step away from her.

"Wait here," he breathed out and she looked at him in confusion. "Just, hold on," he pleaded finding it too difficult to find the words to explain. He hurried into his room and picked up the dirty clothes that were thrown into the corner. Shoving them hurriedly into his closet he glanced around. He straightened the blankets on the bed. They were going to get messed up anyways, but he wanted to make a good impression. Then he pulled the covers down knowing he might not have the patience to do it a few minutes from now. With that thought in mind he took off his shoes and socks.

He turned on the lamp by his bed hoping to give the room a more romantic look, but he wasn't satisfied. With a sigh he looked around his room wishing he had planned this better. It was their first date. Things should be special. He'd never wished he had a secret stash of candles more than he did at that moment. Although the way their night had been going they'd be sure to set the place on fire or spend the night in the hospital burn unit. Or perhaps both.

He shook his head realizing this was the best it was going to get. Well, he'd just have to make it special himself, he decided as he left the room to find Buffy standing right where he'd left her.

"Better?" she asked with a knowing smirk and he smiled as his arms wrapped around her waist.

"A little," he murmured before his lips were on hers again. His hands slid over every curve of her body, but she surprised him when she grabbed his tie and pulled him towards his bedroom. "Buffy," he gasped as she grinned mischievously at him, staying just far enough away that he couldn't touch her. As soon as they got into his room she yanked him closer and drew his lips back down to hers. He groaned into her mouth as she wrapped his tie tightly around her hand.

"You made the right choice," she breathed and he pulled back slightly in confusion. He was breathing heavily and finding it extremely difficult to focus on anything except the slight flush on her face and chest. "Your tie," she clarified as she nodded towards his dresser. When his gaze settled on what she was referring to he shut his eyes in embarrassment. There were three other ties lying on his fucking dresser from when he'd been trying to decide what to wear. He remembered to clean up the floor, but the ties sitting out at eye level slipped his mind. He was such a fucking idiot.

"That's…embarrassing," he mumbled and when his cheeks colored slightly Buffy fell in love with him a little more.

"Well, I love this one," she husked out running her fingers alone the deep wine colored fabric. "Besides, do you really think this was the first dress I picked out?" she countered and he smirked before resting his forehead against hers.

"You could be covered in slime and you'd still be the prettiest girl in any room," he said sincerely and a small embarrassed smile spread across her face.

"You're sweet," she replied. "A terrible liar, but sweet," she told him and when he shook his head he broke out into a wide grin.

"I'm not lying," he insisted before he captured her lips in his. He threaded the fingers of one hand through her hair and the other hand wrapped around her waist to hold her close. "You're gorgeous," he breathed against her mouth as her arms wound around his neck. She pulled him back for another kiss and her tongue darted out to stroke his. She moaned lightly and felt her knees weakening, but he was already backing her towards the bed. When her body collapsed onto the mattress she was surprised by how soft his sheets were.

Rather than falling with her, Angel stayed on his feet and stared down at her in his bed. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. His entire body hardened as his eyes traveled down her body and he didn't wait another second before crawling on top of her.

"I'm so far out of my league with you Buffy," he whispered and she knew he wasn't just talking about her looks anymore. Her hands came up to the sides of his face as she shook her head.

"No you're not," she assured him. She watched him swallow thickly and wondered how he could possibly think so little of himself. He was the kindest and most honorable man she'd ever met.

He kissed her deeply as soon as the words left her lips. He wished that he could see himself the way she saw him. But there were still things that she didn't know. Things that Darla had held against him. Things that he held against himself…

He had to tell her. He knew that. He never thought it would be this soon, but things between them had moved so fast it had snuck up on him. He'd have to tell her soon or he'd feel like he was lying to her. But not yet, he decided. Not tonight. He'd give himself tonight in case she ran or never looked at him the same way again. He needed to feel like the man she thought he was for one more night.

"I'm going to make love to you," he declared softly and her breath caught in her throat. "I'm going to treat you the way you should be treated," he murmured dropping his lips to her throat. Placing short wet kisses along her skin the words continued to fall from his lips. "We're going to go soft and slow and it's going to be all about you all night long," he informed her and although she was breathing hard she was skeptical. Soft and slow just wasn't her style.

"Angel, I don't-"

"Trust me," he said so simply she was nodding before she'd even processed the words. The truth was she'd never liked soft and slow. She'd never found pleasure in it in the past. And she liked to be an active participant. To touch just as much as she was touched and to kiss as often as she was kissed…

But that look in Angel's eyes when he'd asked. So full of desire, hope, and uncertainty…there was no way she was going to say no. She was pretty sure she'd give pretty much anything for him, so one night of soft, slow, selfish lovemaking wasn't asking a lot of her.

Angel trailed his lips down to her chest before kissing the swell of her breasts visible above the neckline of her dress. He had the feeling that she'd never been touched this intimately before. He knew that her relationship with Spike wasn't about gentle lovemaking and he sure as hell hoped Riley hadn't heard that moan fall from her lips. But from her uneasiness Angel suspected she didn't give up complete control and allow herself to be this vulnerable too often.

He was going to give this to her. And to himself, he realized when her hands ran down his back. Kissing her, touching her, just loving her…was better than any sex before her. He just wanted to give her pleasure in every sense of the word.

His thumbs flicked across her covered nipples and her eyes fluttered shut. He needed to get that dress off her now. Running his hands down the sides of her body he kissed and licked his way up her neck. She was squirming ever so slightly underneath him and he smiled slightly when her back arched towards him. His hands snuck under her dress, caressing her outer thighs and she took a deep shuddering breath.

"Angel, you're going to kill me," she whimpered and he let out a low chuckle against her neck.

"Maybe," he agreed raising the dress over her hips. "But it'll be a damn good way to go," he smirked when their eyes met and when she smiled he knew she wanted this. She trusted him and she was comfortable. With that thought he pulled the dress up over her head and threw it onto the floor. He leaned down and kissed her lips, his tongue plunging hotly into her mouth. She gasped against his lips and he could barely catch his breath.

Sitting up quickly he loosened his tie, but when her fingers clenched on the sheets as she watched him he gave up. He wrenched the tie over his head and threw it mindlessly to the floor and she glared at him.

"That was supposed to be my job," she scolded and he grinned down at her. The sight of her light body against his dark sheets had his senses reeling. She was so beautiful…

"Next time, Baby," he promised before leaning down to hover over her.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," she warned and he chuckled as her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"I have no doubt," he husked out as he kissed her deeply, his tongue tasting every inch of her mouth. Her hands slid across his back, feeling every one of his muscles through the material of his dress shirt. She pulled it up and freed it from his pants, sliding her hands up onto his stomach. He groaned into her mouth as her nails clawed at his smooth skin.

"Angel," she whimpered in protest as he took her wrists and removed her hands from his body.

"Tonight is about _you_," he insisted and his dark eyes bore into hers.

"Well _I_ want to touch you," she retorted and he shook his head, his lips quirking up in a half smile.

"You are so difficult," he husked out and she shrugged slightly as she freed her hands from his grasp. "What am I supposed to do with you? Tie you up?" he joked but when she grinned seductively he groaned. He grabbed her wrists again and shoved them hard into the mattress on either side of her head. "You look way too happy with that idea," he scolded and crushed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss. His hips ground into hers and when he bit hard on her lower lip she let out a loud moan.

The sound brought him back to reality and he pulled back from her. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. He'd let his passion and lust for her get the best of him, but he wouldn't let that happen again tonight. He still held onto her wrists to keep her from taking control and she squirmed in frustration under him.

"I told you what tonight was about," he reminded her and her fists clenched in his hands. "We're going slow. And you're going to like it," he assured her and he briefly let his mind wander to what she would sound like when she was begging him to go harder and faster. He took another deep breath. If he actually got through this tonight he should be given a fucking medal.

"And after that," he smirked as he brought his lips back down to her neck. He kissed his way up her jaw until his lips were even with her ear. In a husky whisper he spoke to her. "I'll tie you up, blindfold you, fuck you, and do every damn thing you want," he promised and she gasped as he bit lightly on her earlobe. "But not tonight."

"Angel," she murmured almost incoherently and he smiled against her skin. _That_ was more like it.

"Tonight you have to let me do this my way," he added and he glanced up to see her nod and he felt her body relax under his. "Now, you can tell me what you want, but I don't have to listen," he told her and she nodded again, finding herself breathing heavily. Her eyes fluttered shut as his hands slid around her back to unclasp her bra. As he pulled it down her shoulders his fingertips brushed along her skin and she shuddered slightly.

"Angel," she whispered and he saw her hands clenched in fists so tight her knuckles were turning white. She hadn't moved her hands since he'd let go of her wrists and he felt a surge of pride at the realization that she was completely letting him have control.

"What is it, Baby?" he asked tossing her bra to the floor.

"I-" she swallowed a moan as his hands came up to gently cup her breasts. "I want to take off your shirt," she revealed and as his thumbs brushed across her nipples and she arched off the bed he made his decision. He wanted to feel her skin against his.

"Okay," he agreed and her fingers immediately flew to the top button of his shirt. She undid his shirt quickly and as soon as it was open she shoved it down his shoulders. Before it landed on the floor, his hands were back on her body and she ran hers across his back. Their eyes met and as he kissed her lightly he rested his forehead against hers. "You have no idea how beautiful you are," he breathed and she gasped as Angel's lips kissed a deliberate path down the center of her chest. As his hands skimmed the sides of her body and his mouth carefully avoided her breasts, Buffy whined in frustration.

"Angel," she pleaded but he merely shook his head, his lips never leaving her body. Her skin was on fire from his touches and kisses and she didn't know how much more of this she could take. When his tongue dipped into her belly button she cried out loudly in surprise. She loved when he touched her there. Nobody had ever taken the time to explore her body before, but as soon as Angel had found out what just a simple touch there did to her…

All coherent thoughts left her mind as his hands began to slowly knead her breasts and his tongue darted back into her belly button. She felt her body quivering in reaction to his touch and she knew he could feel it too. He slowly kissed up her stomach, his fingers teasing her breasts mercilessly. Buffy wrapped her hands around his neck, trying to guide his mouth where she needed it but he shot a warning glance up at her and instead her fingers massaged his scalp.

He had to hold back a groan. He was so hard it hurt, but this was too good to stop. Unable to wait any longer, he took one of her breasts in his mouth and he heard her gasp as he suckled on it expertly. A moan escaped his own mouth as her hips thrust involuntarily towards his and he instinctively ground his body into hers. He swirled his tongue around the nipple in his mouth and then began to kiss his way across her chest to the other breast.

"Oh god, Angel," Buffy gasped when his hot mouth closed on her nipple. She wrapped a leg around his waist, holding his lower body against hers and she desperately wished there weren't so many layers of clothes between them. "I want to take off your pants," she breathed and he detached his lips long enough to answer.

"Yes," he agreed and her fingers slid down his chest until they reached his belt. She was distracted by his mouth and his hands were now holding her hips still so it took her a few moments to undo it. When she did, she pulled it off quickly and undid his pants before lowering the zipper. After a few torturous seconds she had them undone and pushed down his hips. He kicked them off and he could hear her breathing escalate.

"I'm going to touch you," she announced breathily as her hand came down to cup him through his boxers. He groaned and leaned back slightly, grabbing her wrist to stop her.

"No," he retorted and she started to protest but was cut off when his lips met hers. He felt her arms wind around his shoulders and clutch him tightly and he tangled his own fingers in her hair. When their tongues met, a low growl escaped his throat. She tasted so damn good…

His strong hands slid down either side of her body without his lips ever leaving hers. He curled his fingers under the waistband of her panties and said a prayer thanking someone for the fact that Buffy seemed to prefer lace underwear. He didn't know what it was about lace, but it had always turned him on.

She could feel the lace scraping against the skin of her legs as he pulled her panties down. Her entire body shuddered in anticipation and excitement. There was a soft sound of fabric hitting the floor and then his hands were on her calves. Slowly caressing her skin, he made his way up her legs, stopping to kiss and nibble along the way.

He was straining hard against his boxers, but he ignored it. Tonight was about him showing her how he wanted to make love to her. He didn't have a plan. He just touched and kissed wherever he wanted and as he'd suspected, with every touch he just wanted more. As his hands made their way up her legs it amazed him how soft her skin was. Every inch of her was so perfect.

"Please Angel," she breathed and he glanced up from her chest to see her biting her bottom lip, her forehead wrinkled in frustration, and he just _knew_ she had no idea how sexy she looked to him right then.

"What Baby?" he asked in a low voice and she let out a breathy gasp as she released her lip. "What do you want?" he implored, his face now buried in her neck while he nibbled on her skin. "You know I just want to make you happy," he told her when her only response was a soft moan. "What do you want?"

"Do something. Anything," she whimpered and he grinned against her neck. He wasn't one to deny a lady what she wanted. One strong hand slid down Buffy's stomach as he pressed his lips to hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she immediately accepted his tongue into her mouth.

He kissed her greedily while his hand worked its way down between her legs. When his finger gently brushed against her clit she cried out against his mouth. She was so turned on just the slightest touch had her on edge. He moved lower and slid a finger inside her. She pulled her lips from his on a gasping moan, but as he felt how wet she was he couldn't resist sliding another finger into her.

"God Buffy," he groaned and as he thrust his fingers into her he could tell she was close.

"Angel," she begged but he slowly withdrew his fingers. She whimpered in protest and it took every ounce of his self-restraint to ignore the sound. He slid down her body and dropped his hands to her inner thighs. "Stop teasing me," she ground out as his thumbs ran in soft circles on her skin.

"I'm just getting started," he chuckled in response. Before she could react, his head had dipped between her legs and his lips were wrapped around her clit.

"Yes," she hissed and her back arched up off the bed. Angel brought her legs up and over his shoulders so she would be comfortable. If he had anything to say about it, he would be down here for a while. When he felt her close to letting go he released her clit and she cried out in protest. He looked up at her face and unconsciously ground down into the bed looking for any relief he could. She was so damn gorgeous…

After allowing her only a few seconds to calm down, he returned, his tongue pushing inside her. She gasped, her hips pushing against the hands that had to hold her still and he groaned out loud. She smelled so good and she tasted even better… He really could spend the rest of his life right here, between her thighs.

He was taking his time and she was trying to be patient, she really was, but after what seemed like hours of soft licks and gentle kisses she needed more. Her fingers buried themselves in his hair and she pushed his head against her, urging him on. But he took one of his hands, his fingers encircling her wrists and easily removing the hand from his head. He looked up to shake his head at her once before getting back to work.

Buffy let out a groan of both pleasure and frustration before his tongue was replaced by two strong fingers. A half smile graced his face at the surprised gasp that escaped her mouth, but his smugness didn't last long. He may be in control, but he was so damn turned on…

He massaged her inner walls and he looked up to see her fingers clenching and unclenching at her sides. His tongue darted out to lick her clit and she shuddered under him, her entire body reacting wildly to his touch.

"Angel," she cried but he didn't look up from what he was doing. "I want to touch myself," she spoke breathlessly and Angel finally glanced up to see her hands hovering over her breasts.

"Do it," he commanded and she immediately squeezed her breasts as Angel's tongue rolled around the sensitive bundle of nerves at her core. He looked up and when he could see her hands grasping onto her own breasts he felt a surge of arousal course through him. "Pinch your nipples, Baby," he husked out and she immediately did as he instructed.

"That's so good," she agreed and he moaned. This had not been on the agenda for tonight, but there was no way in hell he was stopping it. Her eyes were shut and when he slid his fingers farther into her he watched as her back arched off the bed. "Angel, please," she gasped as her hands squeezed her breasts even tighter.

He couldn't deny her anymore and his tongue immediately flicked her clit. His free hand stroked her thigh and when he heard her breathing speed up he knew she was close. While his tongue alternated between licking and sucking her clit he listened to her sighs and moans and knew this was his new favorite pastime. The muscles in her legs tensed around his shoulders and as his fingers curved upwards inside her she exploded on his hand.

"Angel!" she cried out, her hips working against his fingers and mouth. "Oh Angel, yes," she moaned softly as she settled down. He slowly removed his fingers and with a few short licks that left her shuddering beneath him, he crawled back up her body.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are when you do that," he whispered before leaning down to capture her lips in his. She buried her fingers in his hair to hold him close and she reached down to shove his boxers down his hips. She was relieved when he didn't stop her and instead he kicked his boxers off. His tongue stroked hers sensually as her breasts rubbed against his chest. When she felt his hardness brush against her center she felt as if her entire body was on fire. She couldn't wait anymore.

"Angel," she whimpered and he took the time to kiss the skin of her neck. "Angel, make love to me," she whispered. His eyes flew to hers at the sound of her breathy request and his heart nearly pounded out of his chest. There was nothing he wanted more than to make love to this woman, show her how she should be treated and loved and worshiped. And as hesitant as she had been, now she was asking him for it. "Please."

"Always," he replied as he dropped his forehead to rest against hers. "Always," he repeated softly before slowly sliding inside of her. He couldn't hold back his groan as he felt her surrounding him. "Buffy," he whispered as her legs wrapped around his waist. He pulled out before thrusting back in and he rested on his forearms as he tangled his fingers in her hair. "You're so beautiful," he murmured.

"Kiss me," she breathed and he wasted no time before his lips were on hers. Her tongue circled his as she matched the rhythm of his hips with her own. His movements were slow and gentle, but every time he pushed inside her she thought she was going to burst. He was right, she realized. There really was something to making love.

As her nails scratched his scalp he nibbled lightly on her bottom lip, and at the soft moan that escaped her he couldn't resist dropping his lips to the skin of her throat. He could feel her starting to lose control beneath him. Her eyes were fluttering shut, she couldn't catch her breath, and her nails were digging hard into his shoulder – all signs that he had learned meant she was close.

"Buffy, tell me what you want," he whispered softly, his lips next to her ear. With a gasp she tightened her legs around his waist and he had to bite back a groan himself.

"I," she swallowed before opening her eyes to find his intense gaze locked on her. "I want you to go faster," she admitted but he shook his head having already expected that answer.

"I can't do that tonight, Baby," he reminded her and she whimpered as one of his hands slid between them to cup her breast.

"Please," she begged but he merely shook his head again.

"We're making love tonight," he murmured, slowing the motion of his hips even more. He was torturing himself, but it was going to be so damn worth it.

"Please," she repeated desperately as her breathing escalated. She was so close, but it wasn't going to happen this way. And he knew it too, that bastard. "Angel," she gasped when he couldn't hold back one thrust that was slightly harder than the rest. But when he resumed his previous pace she knew she had to do something. "Angel…" she muttered when something finally struck her. She hated being this passive anyways. "Let me make love to you," she insisted.

He was stunned into silence for a moment. He'd been prepared for her usual arguments, but god, just hearing those words come from her mouth… When her hand came up to his chest he let her push him over until she was straddling him.

"Buffy," he groaned as she slipped him back inside her. He quickly brought his hands to her hips to make sure she maintained a slow pace, although all he wanted at that moment was to let her ride him hard until he couldn't see straight.

She moved above him, rotating her hips and letting out a moan of pleasure as she did so. When she began to slide up and down Angel was transfixed by the sight of her. He felt his hands tightening around her hips and he fought the urge to thrust up hard into her. But he didn't think he'd be able to hold himself back much longer. Not when she was on top of him, her breasts swaying with each move she made. God he fucking loved watching her.

"Jesus Buffy," he rasped out when he felt her intentionally tighten her muscles around him.

"Slow seems like a better idea when you're the one in control, doesn't it?" she taunted as she leaned down and bit down on the chords of his throat.

"Fuck. Yes," he admitted wondering how the tables had turned on him so fast.

"You were right though," she told him in a voice so low he felt it all through his body. "Slow's good too." His eyes nearly rolled back in his head as she sat back up and immediately raised herself up off him before sliding back down.

"Buffy, Baby, please," he begged knowing he was seconds away from exploding hard inside her.

"Tell me what you want," she smirked and he groaned even as he thrust upwards into her. He didn't miss her moan but he knew he couldn't wait for her to come around herself.

"I want to watch you come," he demanded while bringing one hand up and rubbing hard circles around her clit. Her surprised scream encouraged him and he used his free hand to pull her hips down onto him. Almost immediately he felt her contracting tightly around him and he couldn't fight it anymore. He felt his climax crash over him and with a groan he leaned up and captured her lips for a hot kiss.

When they both came down from their pleasure they sank back against the bed, Buffy's head on his chest as they tried to catch their breath. His mind was practically blank, the only thought in his head being that he wanted to go to bed with this woman next to him every night for the rest of his life.

"Angel?" Buffy breathed and he turned to look at her, surprised to see a look of uncertainty on her face. She sat up slightly and he hesitated to reach out for her because she seemed as if she was ready to run. Oh god, was she going to leave now? They hadn't talked about her spending the night.

"Buffy," he began but she shook her head. He reached down for her hand, relieved when she laced her fingers through his.

"It's never been like that for me before," she admitted and he could hear the vulnerability in her voice. "Angel, I-"

"I know," he whispered as he moved closer to her. "And…" he trailed off wondering if what he was about to say would scare her off. But when she looked up at him with those gorgeous green eyes he couldn't hold back. "It's never been like that for me before either," he told her and he released her hand to place his on the side of her face. "It's us, Buffy," he said sincerely and he could see tears building up in her eyes. "It's because-" he stopped short, instinctively knowing if he told her he loved her she would run. She'd be out that door faster than they'd been engaged. "It's because of how we feel about each other," he finished and she nodded before leaning in to capture his lips for a sweet kiss.

She fought off tears as she felt his mouth against hers and cursed herself for letting her emotions get the better of her. She'd almost told him she loved him. Thank god he'd interrupted her. But she couldn't help it. He was so different than anyone she'd ever met. He was strong, honorable, kind, old fashioned... She smirked to herself knowing she was as far from old fashioned as you could get. They were in for one hell of a ride together.


	15. Chapter 15

**Again, sorry for the wait. I had intended for a few more things to happen in this chapter, but as I was writing it turned out much longer than I expected. Because of that the first part of the next chapter is already written. Hopefully it won't be too long for the next chapter. Let me know what you think of this one. I appreciate all the reviews thus far. It really helps!**

PART 15

"No, don't get up!" Buffy pouted burying her face in Angel's shoulder as the morning sun peeked through the blinds.

"I was going to make us breakfast," he replied with a smile but she shook her head and only snuggled closer to him.

"No," she said simply. "I'm comfy here with my Angel pillow," she told him and with a grin he wrapped his arm around her and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"We have to eat," he chuckled when she groaned and shook her head.

"Not hungry," she mumbled. "Just stay here a little while longer," she whispered sleepily and he suddenly felt his heart swell with love for her.

This was how he wanted to wake up every day for the rest of his life. Her in his arms, not wanting him to leave… This moment, right now, was perfect.

He felt her hand come up to rest on his bare chest and he caught sight of her claddagh ring. She still wore it with the heart facing in. He knew it probably didn't mean anything and they both probably should have taken the rings off the minute they got home from her mother's house, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He hadn't changed his either. The heart still pointed towards him and he hadn't considered turning it. Whether or not his feelings were reciprocated, his heart was taken.

But with her so close to him, so calm and so relaxed, it was hard to believe she didn't feel the same way about him. Maybe she did love him.

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Breakfast would be ready in a few minutes so Angel turned to go wake Buffy. He smiled to himself. That girl could sleep. When he was halfway out of the kitchen he stopped short at the sight of his girlfriend walking towards him, not wearing a stitch of clothing.

"Buffy…" he trailed off, his eyes traveling down the body he had come to know so well.

"Good morning," she greeted with a wide smile as she stepped in front of him. Her hand reached up and pulled his lips down to hers and he groaned as he wrapped his arms around her slim waist.

"Is this going to become a habit?" he asked remembering only too well what had happened the day before when he'd been making pancakes.

"It could," she replied with a wide smile as her hands slid down to the top button of his shirt. "But today," she said as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt. His eyes never left her body, watching every move she made. She was so sweet and sexy and playful and fun. How the hell had he gotten so lucky? "I didn't feel like putting my dress back on," she shrugged as she finished undoing his shirt and she ran her tiny hands up his chest.

"I'm fine with that," he nodded and she grinned, feeling the effect she was having on him against her stomach.

"I'm sure you are, but you're the one that said we have to have breakfast," she reminded him even as she slipped his shirt off his shoulders.

"Lunch is okay too," he replied absentmindedly and she smiled widely as she leaned up to capture his lips again. His fingers sank into her hair and he deepened the kiss. When his tongue worked its way into her mouth she carefully slid her arms into the sleeves of his shirt. "Or we could wait for dinner," he smirked against her lips and her laugh was muffled by his mouth. She quickly slipped her hands between them and closed some of the buttons on his shirt so she was at least partially dressed.

"I had no idea I would be interrupting," a female voice suddenly spoke and the two flew apart at the surprise. When Angel saw who was standing in his apartment he sighed and Buffy blushed deeply.

"Hi Cordy," Angel said and she grinned widely.

"I was going to ask how your holiday was, but it seems it went well," she replied taking in the sight of a bare chested Angel and Buffy wearing a shirt that clearly didn't belong to her.

"It's nice to see you too dear sister," Angel retorted sarcastically but Cordelia only chuckled.

"I didn't know you would already be at the spending the night and making breakfast stage or I wouldn't have let myself in," she told him when Angel's eyes widened.

"Oh shit, breakfast," he muttered rushing back towards the stove eliciting a laugh from both women.

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"You look happy, Angel," Cordelia said later when Angel was doing the dishes from breakfast. Buffy was in the shower and Angel glanced over at his sister. He caught her eye for a moment and saw sincerity in her gaze.

"I am," he told her and she smiled.

"So whatever was wrong when you called got worked out?" she wanted to know and Angel nodded remembering how hopeless he'd felt that day when Buffy had done everything she could to avoid him. "Then what's wrong?" she asked and Angel sighed knowing that Cordelia was the only person, aside from possibly Buffy, that he couldn't hide things from.

"I have to tell her about what happened when Dad died," he explained and Cordy looked at him sympathetically. "And Kathy," he added and she let out a deep breath.

"Angel, you two just got together," Cordelia reminded him. "Does she even know about Kathy and your-"

"Yes," he interrupted in a low even voice and Cordelia sighed. "She knows everything. Except…about me," he finished and Cordelia nodded knowing what he was referring to.

"It's still early Angel. You're under no obligation to tell her yet," she assured him. "Most guys wouldn't tell her at all."

"I'm not going to lie to her," he insisted, his eyes intense when they met Cordelia's. "She deserves to know."

"Did you tell Darla?" she wondered. He nodded silently and she could see his teeth grinding as his fists clenched around the counter. "When?"

"Eight months after we got together," he answered automatically and when Cordelia opened her mouth to make the connection he knew she'd already made in her mind he cut her off. "I know, Cordy," he said quietly. "Believe me, I know."

"I think Buffy will take it better," she said confidently but she could see there was something else on his mind. "What else?"

"You went to high school with Buffy," he stated and Cordelia nodded. "Did you know Spike?" he asked carefully and Cordy leaned against the refrigerator. She knew her brother and the fact that he'd actually asked that question out loud told her it was bothering him even more than he knew.

"Yeah, I knew Spike," she replied and she continued when Angel looked at her expectantly. "He was a little older than us. He was the bad boy, but it was mostly an act. He didn't date a lot," she shrugged before her face screwed up in concentration. "Actually, besides Buffy, I don't think he dated at all. But he loved her," she said and Angel shot her a skeptical look. "He did. They were both…young," she sighed, "but he cared about her. He was a decent enough guy. A weird sense of humor," she smirked but turned serious when Angel shook his head in disbelief. "What?"

"That guy's a dick," Angel snorted throwing a dish towel on the counter and Cordelia was surprised to see such an outward display of emotion from her brother.

"You met him?" she queried and Angel nodded.

"We ran into the bastard at the playground," he explained running a frustrated hand through his hair. "What he said…it shouldn't be repeated," he said quietly and Cordelia knew her brother and Spike well enough to guess what had happened. And there was a faint bruise on Angel's face that confirmed her suspicions.

"Spike was there for Buffy when she started college, which from what I hear wasn't an easy adjustment for her. When she got things back on track for herself Spike felt left behind," Cordelia offered and Angel sighed.

"That doesn't excuse-"

"No it doesn't," she agreed. "But Buffy isn't an idiot," Cordelia pointed out. "They were young, and maybe a little immature, but they had a decent relationship in the beginning."

"He's dating Dru now," Angel blurted out and Cordelia burst out laughing. Angel shot her a glare. "It's not funny. Dru's really messed up now."

"From what Kathy told me, that girl was ALWAYS messed up. You just didn't spend enough time around other people to notice she wasn't normal," she said with a giggle and Angel's eyes narrowed. "Actually, she sounds like she'd be perfect for Spike."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Angel quietly observed as Buffy and Cordy looked closely at the ring Doyle had shown Angel months ago. The two girls were giggling as they remembered some awful ring an old biology teacher used to wear, but that wasn't what captivated Angel. Neither of his sisters had ever particularly liked any of his girlfriends before, but now here were Cordelia and Buffy laughing like old friends.

He knew this was what he wanted for his life. He wanted Buffy. She had such a positive outlook on life and one smile from her could brighten his entire day. But he wasn't convinced he fit into the life she wanted or the life she deserved.

He wasn't the bubbly person she was and he wasn't always comfortable in crowds. He had a lot of history and his family was complicated. When she has a problem she talks about it with friends. When he has a problem he shuts people out and deals with the emotions himself. And, he realized, that was exactly what he was doing now. He'd been brooding for a solid half an hour while Buffy and Cordelia talked and he knew he'd continue to do so as long as they talked. And knowing his sister, that could be all day.

Without another word he got up and walked out of the room. He needed to go brood in silence. He had already decided that tonight he would tell Buffy about his past. He didn't know if she'd leave him, but he thought that she probably should. But regardless of what she should do, she deserved to know. And if she did leave, Angel silently resolved, he would just have to let her go.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy noticed the second Angel left the room. She had thought he'd been a little quiet, but she assumed it had to do with Cordelia interrupting them earlier. When she heard his bedroom door close quietly she glanced down the hall, but there was nothing to explain what was going on.

"Buffy," Cordelia spoke, her tone now much more serious than it had been a few seconds ago when they'd been discussing their prom. "Do you care about my brother?"

"What?" Buffy asked, her head whipping back around to stare at Cordelia. "Of course I do," she replied truthfully.

"Then you need to go talk to him. Make sure he tells you what's bothering him," she urged and she could see the concern in Buffy's eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked immediately and Cordelia gave her a comforting smile.

"Hopefully nothing. But that's for you to decide," she told her. "I'll let myself out," she assured the blond who was now consumed by thoughts of what was going on with Angel. How could things have gone from so good to so bad in a couple hours? She turned to say goodbye to Cordelia, but the door was already shutting behind her and she locked it with her key.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy walked down the hallway towards Angel's bedroom. She didn't knock because she knew he'd already heard her. He had an uncanny ability to know when she was approaching. She pushed open the door to find him sitting on his unmade bed, back against the headboard, staring silently ahead.

"Needed to brood in silence?" she teased and he glanced up at her, surprised that she'd called him on exactly what he'd been doing.

"Where's Cordy?" he wondered knowing it wasn't like his sister to leave.

"She left. She said the two of us needed to talk," Buffy informed him and she saw his face darken slightly and she knew Cordelia had been right. Something was bothering him. "Angel, what's wrong?" she asked and he could hear a trace of nerves in her voice.

Without a word he stood up off the bed and led her out of the room. He walked down the hallway and she followed, not sure what was going on. He was trying to gather his thoughts. There didn't seem to be any more putting off this conversation.

"You should sit," he said quietly but she shook her head.

"Only if you sit with me," she insisted and he looked at her in confusion. "If I leave you over here you're going to go into major brood mode. I need you close so I can make sure you keep talking," she explained and despite his situation he felt the corners of his mouth quirking up. She knew him too well. With a short nod he sat next to her on the couch and he reached for her hand. He had no idea how this was going to turn out, and he had every intention of touching her while he still had the chance.

"There's something I have to tell you," he began and Buffy looked at him expectantly. His eyes locked with hers and he was met with what he found to be the most understanding gaze he had ever seen. He took a deep breath and she gave his hand a squeeze. "My dad was sick for a while before he died so we knew it was coming. But I was angry," he told her and his eyes fell to their hands that were in her lap. "I couldn't handle it."

"Angel, there's-"

"I would go looking for trouble," he interrupted, his voice quieter than normal. "I stayed out late, blew off responsibilities…" he trailed off and Buffy was surprised that the Angel she knew had ever shirked any responsibility. "I wasn't even there when he died. I was-" he stopped abruptly deciding against telling her the truth for the moment. She didn't _really_ need to know he'd been getting a lap dance at a strip club while his father had taken his last breaths. "I was out," he finished lamely before averting his eyes and continuing the story. "Then when he died I met Cordy. I found out my dad had had an affair after I'd been born," he revealed and Buffy squeezed his hand again having already assumed this. "I was pissed off."

He paused and took a deep breath. He still wasn't sure what he needed to say to her, but so far she seemed to be taking it well enough. But the hard part was coming up…

"Angel, just say it," she encouraged and his eyes closed briefly before he continued.

"Kathy stuck around the house with my mom a lot. They forgave my dad, but I couldn't be around them. I still don't understand how he could betray me and my mom like that," he revealed and Buffy scooted a little closer to him on the couch. She knew he was very traditional and she could only assume how difficult it had been for him to learn that his parents' hadn't been as perfect as he had thought. And it had been too late to confront his father about it. "So I tried not to go home. I'd crash at a friend's house or just stay out all night. I didn't want to have anything to do with Cordy, but she insisted on getting to know me. I blew her off about a dozen times. Every time I'd go out and get drunk or high," he whispered knowing that probably wouldn't sit well with Buffy.

But when he looked up to her face he saw only a look of sympathy. He didn't see any judgment and that gave him the courage to go on.

"I hung out with the wrong people. I smoked, stole alcohol, and got thrown out of clubs nearly every night for starting a fight. And I was just a heartless bastard," he admitted and she could see how upset he was by his past actions. "I wasn't there when my dad died. Kathy called me but I didn't answer," he admitted. "And I said terrible things to her and my mom," his voice was slightly strained from a few threatening tears and he had to pause briefly to get himself back under control. "Really awful things," he whispered and Buffy squeezed his hand.

"You love your family Angel. They know that," she assured him and he nodded.

"I know," he agreed and he tried but he failed to give her a small smile. "Finally Cordy found me, yelled at me, and told me Kathy had lost a father and a brother. I'd lost myself," he shrugged. "I'd left my mom and sister to fend for themselves after my dad died. I just left them. I fucked up…"

"And Cordelia called you on it," Buffy finished for him and this time Angel managed a smile as he nodded.

"Yeah," he agreed. "And eventually Kathy, my mom, and I worked things out," he told her, but she could hear that there was still an edge to his voice so she knew there was more. "But then Kathy died," he said softly and all Buffy wanted to do was comfort him. "And it was worse. My mom hated me, my sister was gone, and besides Cordy, I had no family left. So I did the same thing I did when Dad died," he revealed and he forced himself not to look at Buffy. He couldn't bring himself to see the look on her face. "I fought, I did awful things, gambled…" he shook his head unable to even finish his thought. "But I took it to a whole new level."

"What happened?" Buffy finally asked when she realized he wasn't going to continue without her encouragement.

"I got arrested," he admitted and Buffy's eyes widened in shock. This man, the one who had baked cookies with her and helped decorate her mother's house for Christmas, had been arrested? "I had some gambling debts I refused to pay. They sent some guys after me. I knew how to fight. I was winning, but then they took out knives," he said and this time when Buffy's eyes widened it was in fear. "I had the money, but I was too stubborn and stupid to pay. So I took out a gun," he whispered and he let go of Buffy's hand before she could drop his. "They backed off. I don't think they expected a spoiled rich boy to be able to fight back," he shrugged and he stared at his hands, avoiding Buffy at all costs. God, what must she think of him now?

"I ran like hell and ended up in a bar I'd been kicked out of a couple times before. I drank a lot, pissed off a lot of people, and started a fight. And instead of kicking me out, the owner called the cops," Angel said, his voice now emotionless. "I had a concealed weapon, I'd beaten the shit out of people all over the bar, and I yelled at the officers when they got there."

"So they arrested you," Buffy assumed and Angel only nodded, still not looking her way. "How did you get out?"

"Cordy finally called the police station after she didn't hear from me for two days," he explained. "She paid my bail and got me a lawyer. Some charges were dropped, I got community service and a couple of misdemeanors," he finished but Buffy was waiting for more. When none came she finally spoke up.

"Is that everything that was bothering you?" she asked tentatively and he nodded silently waiting for her to either yell or very awkwardly tell him she needed to get back home. "Angel," she said but he remained sitting facing forward on the couch, staring down at his hands. "Angel, look at me," she said softly and he couldn't ignore her anymore. He turned to face her and she placed a hand on his shoulder and waited until his eyes met hers.

"Buffy, you don't have to-"

"Angel, just let me talk now," she said and he nodded knowing it was only fair. Taking a deep breath Buffy spoke. "I know you, Angel," she told him with such a confidence he found himself wanting to believe it. "I know how strong you are, how much you love your family and friends, and how much you've had to deal with in your life. But I also know how much pressure you put on yourself."

"Buffy-" he shook his head but one glare from her silenced him.

"None of what you just told me makes you a bad person," she assured him but he sighed.

"I was with Darla after Kathy died," he reminded her. "She had no idea what was going on with me. I didn't treat her the way I should have. I wasn't there for her."

"You were going through a difficult time. It was her job to be there for you," she insisted and Angel wished he could believe her. "Now I know you don't believe me," she smirked and he smiled inwardly. "But it's not your fault. You did bad things. You messed up. So what? You learned, you moved on," she said and he felt his throat constrict as he realized that she wasn't running. But he wasn't sure she realized what he was capable of.

"Buffy, I have a temper," he said quietly and she reached for his hand and laced her fingers through his. "I don't think you understand what-"

"Angel, I know what you're saying," she promised and he swallowed thickly. "It's no secret you're strong, and I saw how angry you were with Spike," she said but he shook his head.

"You have no idea…" he trailed off remembering how much he'd wanted to twist that arrogant bleached blond head right off his body.

"You wanted to kill him," she said gently and his eyes flew to hers in shock. "I could see it Angel. But you can control it," she pointed out and he took a deep breath. She knew everything he hadn't wanted to tell her and she wasn't running. She accepted what he'd done, who he was, and understood him.

"I don't know how you can still look at me the same way," he admitted and she smiled and squeezed his hand comfortingly.

"Because you're still Angel," she responded simply.

"When I told Darla she never looked at me the same way again," he said remembering how quickly things had changed between them after she'd found out. "If that's how you feel, I don't blame you. But I need you to tell me now," he whispered, his dark eyes meeting hers desperately. "Because I won't be able to take it if I lose you a few months from now," he said swallowing a lump in his throat. If this changed things between them he would never forgive himself.

"Just because I know more about your past doesn't mean I think any less of you," she told him and she quickly found herself in his arms. He held her tightly, burying his face in her hair as he clenched his eyes shut.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," he murmured, amazed that she was still with him.

"You don't need to punish yourself," she said as she pulled back to look at him. His eyes were filled with that guilt she had occasionally seen flickering beneath the surface, but she had had no idea it affected him this much. "That's why you stayed with Darla," Buffy realized out loud and Angel's eyes dropped to their hands, too ashamed to verbally reply. "You felt guilty."

"We fell apart because of what I did," he reminded her but she shook her head stubbornly.

"She cheated on you, Angel. That's not your fault," she insisted before her mouth quirked upwards. "Besides, I know a thing or two about stupid relationships," she pointed out and Angel smiled slightly appreciating her attempt to lighten the mood.

"Let me take you somewhere tonight," he blurted out but Buffy shook her head immediately.

"You don't want to go out tonight," she responded and he studied her face curiously. She was right; he didn't want to go out. He'd rather stay in, especially after everything that had happened today, but she shouldn't have to stay in because of that.

"No Buffy. We can-"

"We can. But you don't want to," she cut him off and she slowly shifted so she was straddling him on the couch. "So I don't either," she told him and he wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close to him.

"I'm so glad I found you," he breathed out and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. She relaxed into his embrace feeling safer and more relaxed than she ever had in her life. She knew he was afraid of himself and what he was capable of, but she also knew he was the best man she'd ever met. He always did the right thing. Always. And she trusted him. She trusted him more than she trusted anyone. In just a few short weeks he'd become the strongest and most stable thing in her life. And every word he'd just spoken only made her fall for him that much more.

She pulled back slightly and there was just something in his eyes that she couldn't resist. Leaning forward she pressed her lips to his and his arms tightened around her immediately. As he kissed her he held her close to him, a part of him afraid if he let go she'd disappear. He had intended for it to be a light, gentle kiss, but the second her lips had touched his he'd lost all the control he'd had. Her hair was so soft beneath his fingers and her body was so little compared to his.

She was just perfect to him. He was in so deep at this point that no matter what happened there was no going back. He was in this for good.


	16. Chapter 16

**I apologize again for the break between updates. I got pretty sick and haven't been on the computer much. The good news is this chapter got so long I ended up splitting it into two parts which means the next chapter is already written! So if you guys would be so kind as to leave a quick review it would make my day! I could always withhold the next chapter until I get enough reviews. Hmm... :) I'm kidding. It should only be another day or two, but reviews would of course be appreciated.  
**

PART 16

He wrapped his arms tighter around her as she lay on top of him on his couch. After their heart to heart she'd kissed him sweetly and he just hadn't been able to hold back. He'd made love to her, lost himself in her, mind, body, and soul. Now they were resting calmly, both comforted by the other's presence. Her tiny feet snuck between his calves and he jumped when he felt how cold they were.

"Buffy!" he exclaimed with a laugh and she giggled at his reaction, propping herself up on his chest, resting on her elbows. "Warn a guy," he scolded as he reached for the blanket on the back of the couch.

"Sorry," she replied unapologetically. "You know I get cold," she shrugged as he covered them both with the blanket.

"I do," he nodded knowing she was often cold when he wasn't and he tended to keep his apartment on the cooler side. Maybe he should change the thermostat settings if she was going to be here a lot… "I should have taken you to bed," he sighed feeling slightly guilty as he ran a hand through her hair but she smiled down at him.

"Mmm no," she disagreed shaking her head. "This was perfect," she told him leaning down to place a soft kiss on his lips. "Spontaneous and sexy…" she drifted off as her fingertips unconsciously trailed down his chest.

"It _was_ pretty…um," he gulped as her fingers neared his nipple. She wasn't even aware she was doing it, but god, just one touch from her and he was a goner. "Pretty good," he finished lamely when she settled down on top of him again and pressed her lips to his neck.

"Mmhmm," she murmured and a shiver ran through his body as he felt her breath against his skin. "I feel like I can't get enough of you," she whispered so softly he wasn't sure he'd heard her right.

"Hmm?" he asked, unwilling and unable to form words as she shifted on top of him.

"You're so passionate," she said leaning up again so she could look in his eyes. "You're strong, but you're so gentle," she continued as her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. Their gazes locked and it occurred to him that she was telling him what she liked. And he was sure as hell going to listen. "And you're confident and sure, but you take instruction very well," she smirked playfully and the corners of his mouth quirked up in response. "You're extremely considerate," she whispered suddenly realizing that she wasn't only talking about his sexual prowess anymore.

She pressed her forehead against his and his hand came to rest on the small of her back. Brushing some hair out of her face he opened his mouth to respond, but words escaped him when he saw the emotions in her eyes. His heart skipped when she closed her eyes briefly to regain her composure and he took a deep breath to regain his.

"And you don't even know it," she added softly and he looked at her in confusion. "You do things because to you that's the right thing. You think everyone lives that way, but they don't Angel. Most people don't," she told him. "When you make breakfast or offer to help me with something I know it's not just to get on my good side. It's because you want to," she said, dropping her voice so it wouldn't break. "But most people have an ulterior motive and you don't even know it. You're sweet, considerate, and caring without even knowing it," she whispered but this time her voice did crack.

"Buffy," he murmured, his own voice thick with emotion as he heard her words. Every word she'd spoken had been true. She knew him, really knew him, and he swallowed the lump in his throat as he pulled her lips to his.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy cleared the table from the dinner Angel had made. She had insisted on being the one to clean up since he hadn't allowed her near the kitchen to help cook, but he still found himself trying to wash dishes. She shooed his hands away and he smiled to himself at the sight in front of him. It was such an intimate sight, her standing there in his sweats doing the dishes from their dinner together. Throughout the night the conversation had been easy and he was pretty sure that if he hadn't already been in love with her he would have been after tonight.

Buffy had never seen Angel smile as much as he did during dinner. He had been lighthearted and joking and it warmed her heart to know that he was comfortable enough with her to do that. She placed the dishes in the sink and turned, surprised to see him staring at her as if she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. She blushed slightly as she thought about what she must look like. She was still wearing the clothes he'd loaned her which were beyond being just too big, she had no makeup on, and her hair was probably a mess from both of their hands running through it all day, but he didn't seem to care.

He took a small step closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She easily settled into his embrace wondering at how much she loved just being in his arms. He could make her feel so safe and cared for just by holding her.

Taking in the slight flush of her cheeks, Angel couldn't help but lean down and press his lips to hers softly. When he pulled back a shy smile spread across her face and he felt his heart leap in his chest. She was so beautiful…and he was so in love with her he could barely breathe.

"Buffy," he began softly but as soon as he spoke it was as if his voice broke the spell that had surrounded them. He couldn't tell her he loved her, he sighed internally. Not here, and not now. They'd only just gotten together. It would scare her away no matter how genuine their feelings were. But now she was looking up at him expectantly and the words were on the tip of his tongue. Did she really have to look at him with those wide, wondering eyes? It made it so hard to tamp down his feelings right now.

"What is it?" she asked and he took a deep breath. He couldn't risk her running. Clearing his throat he finally spoke up, his voice coming out small and uncertain.

"Do you need me to take you home?" he questioned and he could see the lingering smile vanish from her face. He felt her step back ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, but just enough.

"I can go whenever you need me to," she replied wondering if their conversation on the couch had been too much too soon. They'd barely been together and she'd practically thrown herself at him and declared her undying love. Embarrassed, she felt like her cheeks were flaming and she avoided eye contact with him.

"No. No," he rushed to say and she looked at him confused and slightly annoyed. Stay, go? Stay, go? Which is it? He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, frustrated with himself over his inability to express this. "I don't need you to go. I don't _want_ you to go," he assured her as their eyes met. "But you don't have any clothes here…I thought you might need your things," he shrugged and she gave him a soft smile. He was always trying to be considerate.

"I guess I will need some stuff tonight, or at the latest tomorrow morning," she responded noncommittally, a little thrown by what he'd said. At first she thought he was trying to get her to leave and then she realized he just didn't know what to do. But she was in his apartment, and truth be told, she didn't want to leave. They'd only just gotten together and she was still in that stage of wanting to reach out and touch him every other second.

"Well I'd love to have you stay," he told her truthfully as his hands ran up the length of her arms to her shoulders. "But I don't want you to feel like you have to. Whenever you want to leave you can tell me and I'll take you home," he promised and she smiled. She could see by the insecurity he was trying so hard to hide that he was feeling the same way she was. He didn't want to leave her side either, and this new revelation gave her courage.

"What if I want to go home…" she trailed off standing up on her tip toes to kiss him teasingly. She let her tongue brush his for only a moment before pulling back. "But I want you to come with me?" she asked and at his sharp intake of breath she knew she had surprised him. "Is that something you would be open to?"

"Yes," he replied immediately and she smiled at his quick response. Clearly he had thought about this. "Is-is that what you want to do?" he wondered and she shrugged.

"Maybe later. For now I'm happy here," she told him and his hands rested lightly on her hips. "Besides, if I go home then I'd have to put my own clothes on. And I like wearing your clothes," she said with a cute smile that made a grin appear on Angel's face. "They're so comfy."

"Keep them," he replied as his fingers toyed with the material of the t-shirt she was wearing. "They look better on you anyways," he pointed out and she blushed slightly at the compliment. "I mean it. The clothes…" he trailed off suddenly fearing he was being too pushy. He remembered some of his exes had been annoyed about his clothes, always saying they were too big and preferring to wear their own uncomfortable jeans or dresses even when he offered his clothes. "They're yours if you want them," he finished and she brought her hands to his shoulders with a smile.

"I want them," she replied and when the words left her mouth Angel realized how much it had stung every time one of his old girlfriends had returned his clothes or belongings. It was like they didn't want that piece of him. Like that part of him was too 'big' for them to deal with so they just dumped it back on him.

Bending down to kiss her lightly on the lips he replied, "Then they're yours."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How about this?" Buffy asked quickly selecting her favorite movie from his collection, half of which officially belonged to Cordelia.

"What's it about?" he wanted to know and her eyes widened in shock as she took the movie out.

"You've never seen The Breakfast Club?" she exclaimed in disbelief and he shook his head, amused at how dumbfounded she was. "It's a classic," she insisted as she put it in and grabbed the remote. "It's about the Breakfast Club," she explained as if it was obvious while she settled down on the couch next to him. She immediately curled up against his side before continuing. "Five students who all get Saturday detention and have to spend it together," she finished, but with a glance up at his face she could tell he wasn't sold. "Just trust me it's better than what I made it sound like. Please?"

"Anything you want," he told her truthfully. He knew he'd sit through just about anything if it made her happy. And she was so excited when she saw he had this movie. There was no way he was going to burst that bubble.

"You will NOT regret this," she promised and the title sequence appeared on the screen. As the movie set the scene at a high school, Angel glanced towards Buffy to find her mouthing the words silently along with the movie. Slowly the words coming from her lips got louder and he smiled to himself as he listened to her. "You see us as you want to see us. In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Correct? That's the way we saw each other at 7:00 this morning. We were brainwashed."

"How many times have you seen this movie?" he wondered in amusement and she blushed slightly when she realized what she'd been doing.

"Just a few. But that's a classic quote!" she defended herself and Angel chuckled. "Oh whatever. Just wait until they're getting high in the library," she beamed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mmmm," he murmured into her hair later once the movie had ended. "So which one were you?" he asked as she leaned casually into his side.

"Which one what?" she replied, too distracted by his breath on her neck to concentrate.

"A brain, athlete, basket case, princess, or criminal?" he clarified and she shrugged slightly.

"Probably a princess," she admitted with a shrug. "Maybe with a little basket case thrown in courtesy of your sister and her friends," she laughed and he kissed her shoulder lightly. "What about you?"

"Since I played hockey, athlete I guess," he answered uncertainly. "A part of me was a bit of a criminal too," he told her remembering only too well how he used to feel so isolated and alone he would often act out.

"You realize the princess starts with the athlete then ends up with the criminal and the basket case ends up with the athlete, right?" she points out and he chuckles.

"Are you saying we're meant to be?" he teases squeezing her closer to his body.

"Yep," she agreed. "A match made in 80s movie heaven."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Buffy, you're back!" Willow exclaimed as the blond entered the house the next morning. "Tell me about Angel," she ordered excitedly and when Buffy grinned Willow knew there were plenty of details for them to share.

"I don't know where to start, Will," Buffy admitted with a shake of her head as the two friends sat on the couch. "He's wonderful, but I knew that before we got together," she shrugged but Willow could see the happy smile on Buffy's face.

"Well, tell me this," Willow demanded. "Is he as hot as he looks?" she asks and Buffy's eyes met hers knowingly.

"Hotter," she assured the redhead whose grin widened as she saw a giddiness in her friend's expression she had never seen before. "He's incredible," Buffy gushed and it was then that Willow noticed that Buffy was clearly wearing Angel's clothes.

"How…what did you say when…how did you leave things?" Willow stammered. She had so many questions she didn't know which to ask first. She had never seen Buffy this happy, especially in regards to relationships, and she was thrilled for her friend.

"We decided we should spend the day apart," she sighed and Willow could see Buffy's frustration. "We agreed it's the mature thing to do."

"Well…you two should at least talk tonight," Willow replied and Buffy glanced at her.

"It was hard enough to leave this morning Will. Trust me, we won't make it through the night without talking," she assured her. They both fell silent, each of them contemplating what they had just share, but it was only a few moments later when Buffy sighed and spoke up. "Will, how did you know you were in love with Oz?"

"Are you in love with Angel?" Willow nearly squealed, her eyes wide with excitement.

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking," Buffy retorted and Willow bit back a smile knowing if she acted too excited Buffy would end the conversation.

"He was the first person, besides you and Xander, that I felt like I could be myself around," Willow explained and Buffy found herself picking absentmindedly at the fabric of the couch. "And I wasn't uncomfortable with him. I trusted him…" she trailed off when she saw that Buffy wasn't focused on her anymore. "What's wrong, Buffy?"

"I've only known him a few weeks, Will," she said quietly and Willow suddenly understood her friend's dilemma. She wasn't confused about whether or not she loved him. She already knew she did and that was what worried her.

"There's no formula for when it's okay to feel this way. Sometimes it just happens," she said gently and Buffy nodded reluctantly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So where's Cordy today?" Angel asked as he sat in a chair in the living room of the apartment Doyle and Cordelia shared.

"Out shopping with Harmony," he shrugged handing Angel a cup of coffee. "Some engagement celebration thing. Any excuse to go shopping," he told Angel who nodded knowingly. "How's Buffy?" he asked noticing the small smile that appeared on Angel's face at the mention of the name.

"Buffy's good," he replied sipping his coffee as he settled back in the chair. "Really good," he said almost to himself.

"I heard what she got you for Christmas," Doyle continued and Angel nodded remembering the way his heart had leapt into his throat when he'd opened Buffy's gifts. "I'd say she knows you pretty well, eh?"

"Seems so," Angel agreed wondering why Doyle was looking at him with such questioning eyes. "What?"

"Are you ever going to admit that you only got with Buffy so Cordy would come with me on our ski trip?" Doyle retorted and Angel stared at him, somehow not surprised he'd known the truth. "Come on, Angel. You knew I was going to propose, and you knew Delia wouldn't leave you here alone on Christmas. So you used your always charming conversation skills, and no doubt that grin of yours, to convince a young, naïve girl to help you out," he shrugged a shoulder and Angel glared at him.

"That's not how it happened," he protested immediately and Doyle held his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, I'm not judging. I'm the selfish bastard who left my best friend alone with a girl on Christmas knowing full well she wasn't actually his girlfriend," he pointed out but Angel shook his head. "Does Buffy know you used her?" he questioned and Angel slammed his mug down on the coffee table a little harder than he'd intended.

"Doyle," he warned in a low voice but his friend merely sighed.

"I like the girl, Angel. I know Darla messed you up and I just want to make sure-"

"She knows, alright," Angel cut him off angrily standing up. "And she used me too," he shot out feeling the need to defend himself. What kind of guy did Doyle take him to be? Someone who would just blatantly _use_ a girl like that without even telling them? "We pretended to be engaged when we visited her mother for Christmas," he explained forcing himself not to be angry at Doyle.

"Engaged, huh?" Doyle responded calmly as he gestured towards the ring on Angel's finger. "Does she still wear hers?" Angel glanced down at his claddagh ring. He self-consciously clenched his hand into a fist before ignoring Doyle's question. Yeah, she did still wear it, but he wasn't even sure she was aware of it.

"Does Cordelia know?" Angel asked changing the subject and Doyle shook his head.

"It would just upset her. And I wasn't sure I was right," he admitted and Angel sighed. Great, so he could have denied it.

The two men fell silent and Angel's jaw was clenched. He was frustrated and annoyed. _This_ was why he didn't talk to people.

"So you fell in love with her," Doyle stated rather than asked and Angel looked up in surprise. "Don't look so shocked. You've got that same stupid look on your face that I've had since the day I met Delia," he smirked and Angel felt a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as well. "Have you two talked? Made it official?" he asked and Angel nodded. "When?"

"New Year's," he answered and Doyle shook his head.

"Way to wait 'til the last minute," he snorted and Angel shot him a glare. "What was the plan? Stay with her until Cordy and I got back and then never speak to her again?" he asked sarcastically, but when Angel avoided his question Doyle's mouth fell open. "Are you serious? That was the plan? How daft can you be?"

"Well I wasn't in love with her when I made the plan," Angel snapped back and Doyle had to hold back a laugh knowing that Angel was already uncomfortable having an emotional conversation in the first place. He didn't need to make him feel stupid to make it worse.

"And she knows you're in love with her now?" Doyle wondered and Angel palmed the back of his neck.

"I haven't told her. Not in so many words," he admitted and it was impossible for Doyle not to notice the dejected tone of his voice. "We just got together a couple days ago."

"How does she feel about you?" Doyle questioned and Angel shook his head feeling at a complete loss.

"I know she feels something, but…I have no idea if it's anything like what I feel for her. How can it be?" he wondered out loud. "Who falls for someone in a matter of days?"

"People that are meant to be together," Doyle answered as if everything in life were that simple.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Willow had left nearly an hour ago to see Oz, and Buffy was stuck home alone. She sat on the couch, the carton of chocolate fudge mint chip ice cream open on her lap. Thank god she always kept extra in the basement freezer. She really needed it right now. The house was too quiet and Buffy was at a loss. She considered calling Angel, but she wasn't really sure that was appropriate. They did agree to spend a little time apart…

This sucked.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Angel knocked on her front door. This was fucking ridiculous. He couldn't even spend twelve hours away from her? He'd just dropped her off this morning, well early afternoon really, but here he was. It wasn't even that late. Probably too late for dinner, but maybe he could take her to the Bronze.

Taking a deep breath he prayed that she wouldn't ask him what the hell he was doing showing up at her house. When the door swung open, he suddenly didn't care if he was pathetic. As he took in her appearance he knew he never would have made it through the night without her.

"Angel," she said in surprise, but he saw a smile cross her face when she recognized him.

"How much time apart did we say we needed?" he asked leaning against the doorframe, his hands self-consciously sliding into the front pockets of his jeans.

"Well it's been, what…" she replied glancing at the clock near the door. "Almost eight hours?" she smiled. "I think that's enough," she assured him. She reached out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him through the door. He grinned as he leaned down to kiss her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he quickly shut the door behind him before grabbing her hips.

"Hi," he said softly as he broke the kiss.

"Hi," she whispered, a peaceful smile now on her face as well.


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, here's the next part. I hope you guys enjoy it. Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter. Please keep them coming. They're so helpful! I don't know about other writers, but for me the hardest part to write is when the characters are happy and together, so reviews would be a great help!**

PART 17

"I can't believe we ate all that ice cream," Buffy giggled gesturing to the now empty half gallon carton on the coffee table.

"You'd made quite a dent in it before I got here," Angel pointed out as he leaned forward and dropped his spoon in the carton. As he did so he noticed a familiar book peeking out from underneath some magazines. "Hey, remember this?" he asked holding it up with a raised eyebrow and Buffy's eyes widened as she saw 100 Questions to Get to Know Your Partner.

"How could I not? Your idea of a first date made me melt," she admitted and he grinned as he flipped through the book.

"There were a few I saw in here I wanted to ask that were rather…inappropriate at the time," he trailed off and Buffy could see he'd flipped determinedly to a page. "Ah here it is. Although I think I know the answer now," he smirked and Buffy felt her stomach flip at the suggestion in his gaze. "Besides the obvious, what are the two most sensitive areas on your body?"

"And you think you know the answer?" Buffy challenged and he nodded confidently as he set the book face down next to him on the couch, still open to the section marked SEX. He reached out, pulling her onto his lap.

"One of them is here," he smiled as his hand slid under her shirt to tease her bellybutton. When her stomach clenched and a gasp escaped her throat he knew he'd gotten to her. "And another one is here," he murmured sliding her t-shirt off her shoulder to suck lightly on the side of her neck. She shivered under him and after only a moment he pulled back. "How'd I do?" he asked cockily and she glared at him in mock annoyance.

"Well, one of yours is here," she retorted, leaning forward and nipping at the thick cords of his throat. His arm tightened around her waist and she smiled against him. "And the other…" she trailed off as she ran her fingers lightly from his shoulder to his wrist. "Is here," she said bringing his arm to her mouth to place a light kiss on the inside of his wrist. His eyes darkened and now it was her turn to grin. "How'd I do?"

"Excellent," he breathed out and she smiled as she reached for the book. Finding her own question she looked up at him.

"Which three parts of my body are your personal favorites, and why?" she asked and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.

"Just three?" he protested and she grinned as she shifted until she was straddling his hips. "I can't possibly pick just three, but one is definitely your lips," he began as he pulled her closer until her mouth met his. Her tongue slid along his lower lip and a low groan from him allowed her to slip her tongue into his mouth. A strong hand on the back of her head held her tighter as their tongues caressed sensually. She pulled back slowly and he took a deep breath. "Let me amend that to say your entire mouth."

"I'm pretty sure that's cheating," she scolded and he shook his head.

"Well cut me some slack. Forcing me to pick just three parts of your body should be considered cruel and unusual punishment," he retorted and she had to hold back an amused smile.

"So what is the second one?" she prompted and he sighed heavily.

"Your eyes," he answered as his hands came up to cup either side of her face. "They change color depending on your mood," he said and he watched as her teeth bit into her bottom lip. "Sometimes it's the only way I can tell what you're thinking," he whispered and she rested her forehead against his. They both fell silent, their gazes locked as the two of them struggled to control the emotions that seemed to overwhelm them. "And I could pick anything Baby," he told her truthfully. "Your hair is so soft when I run my fingers through it," he trailed off as he did just that. "And your neck is so sexy," he whispered as he leaned forward to place gentle kisses along it. "Your breasts are perfect," he murmured against her skin as his hands slid under her t-shirt. He cupped her breasts lightly and he heard her breath hitch. Rubbing his thumbs teasingly over her nipples once, he removed his hands and set them on her hips. "I could go on forever. But it's your turn."

"Your arms and your chest," she said, her voice dropping slightly and he watched as her eyes were locked on his chest. "And your back," she finished and it didn't escape him that her quick answer obviously indicated she had thought about this before. "You're so strong," she muttered distractedly running her hands over his shoulders and down his arms and he silently thanked god for every minute he'd ever spent in the gym.

Swallowing tightly, he grabbed the book and opened it quickly. His eyes flew over the page finding it difficult to choose a question with her sitting on his lap. His body was responding and every time she moved he had to stifle a groan. Finally selecting a question, he blurted it out.

"Of all the things you do to me, what do you think turns me on the most?" he asked dropping the book as she subtly ground her hips into his.

"Well…" she teased seductively. "You like a lot of the things I do to you," she smirked and he nodded slightly. She did have a point. He wasn't very picky. She leaned forward until her lips were next to his ear. "But you love it when I let you have complete control," she spoke lowly and he groaned slightly. He really did like that. "You like to be the dominant one, don't you?" she whispered and she moved deliberately over his arousal.

"Fuck Baby," he husked out as his hands fell to her ass. "Yes," he admitted, disappointed when her hips stopped moving.

"So, what do you think turns me on the most?" she breathed out and he gasped lightly finding it incredibly difficult to concentrate.

"Um…" he murmured, trying to immediately recall every moment he'd spent learning her body. Images flashed through his mind and the mere thoughts made his dick throb. "When I talk to you," he remembered and he held tightly onto her hips. "You love dirty talk."

"I do," she whimpered finding herself more turned on by this conversation than she could ever remember being by anybody else. "And you have such a sexy voice," she told him as one of his hands slid up to the back of her head. He pulled her head to his, crushing their mouths together in a hot kiss. His tongue slid against hers and she moaned lightly before pulling away.

"It's my turn," she reminded him and he bit back a groan. These questions were really getting to him and he wasn't sure how many more he could take before he just threw her down and- "What's the boldest thing you've ever done sexually, and who was it with?" The sound of her voice snapped him back to reality and he groaned, this time unhappily, at the question. He didn't want to answer THAT.

"Baby, I don't think-"

"Tell me Angel," she demanded in a low tone that, _god help him_, turned him on.

"It was with Darla," he said and Buffy's lips fell to his neck to encourage him. "We'd been together a couple months. I took her to dinner and we were in a corner booth," he rasped out as he felt Buffy's teeth dragging along his skin. "We got each other off in the middle of dinner," he finished and Buffy rewarded him by leaning up and kissing him deeply on the lips. He sucked her tongue into his mouth and his hands ground her hips into his. "Now you," he told her and he was pleased to see she was breathing hard as well.

"Spike," she blurted out. "He tied me up, blindfolded me, and gagged me," she said simply and Angel's eyes met hers, unsure of how he felt about that. He didn't trust that guy, but he wasn't opposed to the idea of tying her up himself. "I drew the line at the whips," she assured him and he smirked unable to stop his mind from creating scenarios of her tied to his bed. The idea of whips didn't do a lot for him - he didn't want to hurt her under any circumstances. But maybe he should have left those ties out on his dresser… "Here," she said handing him the book.

He flipped through a few pages suddenly wanting something that would get her mind off Spike. A question caught his eye and he paused. If she answered the way he hoped it would be the greatest ego boost he could imagine, but maybe he didn't want to know the answer. He certainly knew _his_ answer, but - oh screw it. He was going for it.

"What's the hottest sex you've ever had, and who was it with?" he asked and she grinned before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Well it's so hard to choose," she replied and he threw the book onto the coffee table and grabbed her waist. "There was New Year's Eve, that time on the counter, after our date, this morning…" she trailed off and he grew harder under her with every word. "Every time you touch me I feel like I'm on fire," she whispered and his hands fell to her ass to push her closer.

"You have no idea what you do to me," he growled before pushing her down until she was on her back on the couch.

"Oh god, yes I do," she moaned and she immediately pulled his shirt up and over his head. "I do," she breathed out, her mouth opening against his chest. "Because you do it to me," she told him, her fingernails digging into his biceps.

"Do I?" he countered, his tone low and gravelly. "Do I turn you on so damn much you can't breathe?" he asked, one hand cupping the back of her neck until her eyes met his. "Every time I touch you do you feel like it can't possibly still feel like this?" he wondered as he pressed his hips into hers. "When we kiss-"

"God yes," she interrupted and the desperation in her voice was clear. "It goes both ways, Angel. You make me wet with just a look," she nearly whimpered in a voice that went straight to his groin. When her nails curled deeper into his skin he slid his hand under the waistband of her sweatpants. His eyes shut in pure pleasure when he encountered only bare skin and he had to bite back a groan. He pushed one finger inside of her and his cock nearly exploded when he felt how wet she was. Those questions had gotten to her too. She was just dripping…

She let out a soft moan and her hips worked against his hand. He quickly pulled her pants down her hips, his gaze hungry when he met her eyes.

"Do you always get this wet, Baby?" he whispered, his voice husky in her ear as he moved his finger excruciatingly slowly. "Tell me."

"O-only for you," she gasped and she let out a whimper of disapproval when he removed his finger. But his lips were immediately on hers, his body covering her completely. Her hands quickly flew between them, undoing his jeans in record time. He broke the kiss and his eyes were dark with intensity and he grabbed her wrists.

"Good. Because only _you_ get me this freaking hard," he ground out unable to stop his hips from thrusting against her. The denim of his jeans scraped against her bare center and she gasped at the sensation. He released her hands to pull her shirt over her head and as soon as it was on the floor his hands were kneading her breasts.

"Angel," she breathed brokenly when his fingers tugged her nipples. She snuck her hands down to his jeans and he let her slide them off and he kicked them to the floor. Now, the only thing separating them his boxers, she wrapped her legs around his waist. "Angel, please," she begged wondering how he always knew exactly how she needed to be touched. "Please. Make love to me."

Her whispered request stunned him momentarily. It was the first time she'd asked, unprompted, for him to make love to her. And he was sure as hell going to do it right. He stood up and slid one arm under her knees and the other under her back. Picking her up easily, he headed for the stairs.

"Angel?" she questioned and he stifled a groan. With every step he felt the side of her breast against his chest and her lips teased his neck.

"What I'm going to do to you requires a bed," he replied simply as he reached the top of the stairs and quickly made his way to her room. Shutting the door behind them he let out a harsh breath and they both fell onto the mattress, him covering her body. Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds before he captured her lips with his. The kiss was searing hot and even without his hands anywhere on her body her skin was on fire.

"Angel," she gasped when his lips left hers. He watched the rise and fall of her chest and his eyes nearly crossed in pleasure. Dropping his mouth to her skin he kissed along her collarbone towards the center of her chest. Her fingers ran down his back and he groaned knowing he was close to losing it. He had to get inside her. He quickly shed his boxers and a light moan escaped Buffy's lips. She didn't want to wait anymore either.

"God Buffy," he rasped trying to muster every ounce of control he had left. He rested his forehead against hers and when her small fingers slid into the hair at the back of his neck he sighed. Her eyes shut briefly before opening again to meet his and they were both floored by their own emotions mirrored in the other's eyes.

"Please Angel," she pleaded in a whisper and one of Angel's hands trailed down to her thigh. He pulled it over his hip and slid into her. A groan escaped his lips and the fingers on his free hand intertwined with Buffy's.

Their breathless gasps were the only sounds as he began to thrust into her and Buffy seriously wondered how she had gone this long without him in her life. When he touched her she came alive.

Their conversation downstairs had practically sent him over the edge, but he was determined to make this last. She felt so good…he never wanted the feeling to stop. It blew his mind that he'd ever thought he was happy before he'd met her. Nothing compared to her. And since still couldn't tell her he loved her, he showed her.

His lips fell to hers, their tongues tangling intimately as they neared their peaks. She freed her hand from his and ran her fingers down his back. Her fingernails drew a gasp from him and his hips thrust harder into her. Dropping his lips to her chest he took one of her breasts in his mouth. Her head tilted back and she clawed at his skin, urging him on. He groaned at her reaction. Fuck, that was hot.

"Buffy," he gasped raising his head to look at her. But at the cloudy desire he saw in her eyes he felt the last shred of control inside him snap. One of his hands traveled between them, quickly finding the little bundle of nerves at her core and he pressed against it hard. "Come on, baby," he encouraged as his hips continued to thrust into her.

A soft shriek escaped her lips and before she knew what had hit her she was contracting violently around him, the pleasure coursing through her almost unbearable. As she came down from her high he eased the pressure on her clit, but he knew that look on her face. It was that same look she'd had the first night they'd slept together and she'd begged him to keep going. And it was burned into his brain. It was staring back at him right now and he would be damned if he denied her now. If she needed more, she would get more.

He pulled out of her, forcing himself to remain in control. She whimpered at the loss, but when she saw the dark intensity in his eyes she let out an involuntary moan. His hands came to her waist and he easily flipped her until she was on her stomach. Before she could react he lifted her hips off the bed and thrust into her, groaning when she pushed back against him.

"Yes Angel," she breathed, propping herself up on her forearms. "Oh god, yes," she whispered and he was sure he'd never seen anything so erotic in his life. And each time he thrust into her she let out a quiet moan or whimper that was just so fucking sexy…

He just had to touch her so his hands wrapped around to the front of her body. One hand teased her breasts while the other slid to her clit. She could barely breathe as he took over every one of her senses. He touched her everywhere…and it was so damn good. She moaned as she felt him swell and lengthen inside of her and when he traced small circles around her clit her entire body exploded. He drove into her faster at her cry of ecstasy and as she shuddered beneath him he finally let go. Her name escaped his lips on a strangled groan, his hips thrusting erratically a few more times before the energy drained from his body.

He collapsed on the bed next to her, pulling her body closer to his and rolling them onto their backs as they waited until their breathing returned to normal. She curled into his side, resting against his chest and she wished she'd thought to unmake the bed beforehand. She really wanted to pull the covers up and just-

Apparently thinking the same thing, he gently lifted her shoulders and then her hips up, pulling the comforter and sheets down on her side of the bed. Without even standing up he did the same to the covers where he was laying. She raised an amused eyebrow as he pulled the sheets up over them and he looked at her curiously.

"What?" he asked and she smirked.

"You have a lot of practice with this?" she teased indicating the sheets he had pulled up to cover them.

"Tons," he admitted and she felt some of the playful mood escape her. She hadn't been expecting him to be so open and _blatant_ about it. "When I was a kid, before school I used to make my bed while I was still in it," he told her and she grinned as she realized she'd misunderstood him. "So unmaking it's a breeze."

"You're so cute," she smiled and he shook his head.

"Buffy," he groaned in mock annoyance. "Guys aren't really going for cute right after sex," he said rolling until he was on top of her.

Giggling she replied, "I'm sorry. You're a stallion," she joked and he smiled in amusement as he leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"Better," he agreed tilting his head to the side. "But still not quite what I was after," he smirked and she rolled her eyes.

"Sex god?" she offered and he grinned cockily.

"You said it," he retorted with a raised brow and he was feeling too smug to notice one of her hands discreetly grabbing something next to her. And he didn't see the pillow flying up towards the side of his head. "Hey!" he yelled in shock but his surprise faded into something else entirely when he saw the look on her face as she dissolved into giggles. She was so happy…she was glowing. And it was because of him. And that made him feel like a fucking king. If he was able to make this gorgeous woman smile like that, then he was pretty sure he could do anything. The smile on his face matched hers and he doubted that he'd ever been this happy. Grinning he leaned down for another quick kiss and her hands rested on his shoulders.

"I love you," he said softly, the smile still on his face as he pulled away. But as he realized he'd said the words out loud his smile faded into a more serious expression. He couldn't read her face and he cursed himself for not having control over his emotions. Now wasn't the time to say that! It was too soon. And he'd meant to do it right. Over a candlelit dinner or maybe a moonlit trip to the playground as he pushed her on the swings.

But he'd blown it. He'd just blurted it out like a stupid teenager. He felt like his heart was in his throat as he waited for her to respond and he swallowed thickly. Was she going to run? He couldn't let her. He couldn't lose her. It had been an eternity. Why wasn't she saying anything? The panic was growing inside him and he couldn't think of anything to say to fill the silence. What the fuck was his problem? A few seconds ago he hadn't had any trouble finding the words. They'd just tumbled right out of his damn mouth without his permission. But now, when he needed his brain to help him figure out how the hell to fix this, he had nothing.

"Buffy," he finally breathed out needing to break the silence if nothing else. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip and her palm came up to rest on the side of his cheek. "I didn't mean…" he trailed off but he shook his head. He couldn't back out now. He did mean it. More than anything. "I do love you," he whispered honestly as he pressed his forehead against hers. "But that wasn't how I meant to tell you," he admitted. "I wanted it to be romantic and…perfect. Because you deserve that."

"Angel," she replied, her voice softer than a whisper and he saw a few tears shining in her eyes. He felt guilty knowing he'd put her in a position where she had to tell him it was too soon, that they needed to step back. He knew she cared for him, but who was foolish enough to fall in love this soon?

"You don't have to-" he began but he was cut off when she leaned up and captured his lips in hers. The kiss was sweet even if he did taste the salt from her tears. His hands came up to cup her face gently as he pulled back. Wiping her tears away he found himself at a loss for words again. Was that a goodbye kiss? An apology for not feeling the same way? "Buffy, you don't-"

"I love you too," she whispered tearfully and his heart soared with a hope he hadn't dared to entertain. A disbelieving smile ghosted across his face before it disappeared leaving behind a more serious but hopeful expression.

"Buffy," he murmured but a tiny smile graced her lips as well. "Do you-"

"I love you," she repeated and he heard no hesitation in his voice. "I-I have for a while," she admitted and staring into dark eyes now filled with happiness, she suddenly didn't care if she was revealing too much. She loved him and she was tired of holding back how she felt.

"I can damn well guarantee I've loved you longer," he chuckled and she grinned as she slid her fingers into his hair. "God, I didn't want to tell you in case it was too soon…" he trailed off, but matching smiles remained on both their faces.

"Logically it probably is too soon," she told him but her smile never wavered and she shrugged. "But like Willow told me earlier, sometimes it just happens."

"Yeah," he agreed as he lowered his head to place gentle kisses on her neck. "Sometimes you just go spend Christmas with your fake fiancée and in the morning when you cover her with the sheet because you know she likes it and you know she doesn't like to wake up early and she'll wait until her mom tells her breakfast is ready…" his voice drifted off on a soft sigh. "You realize you're so damn in love with her you can't breathe," he murmured and she turned her head until their eyes met.

"You fell in love with me at my mom's?" she asked and he nodded silently. He too was tired of hiding. She had his heart. And even if he was pathetic and she knew it, when he was lying there naked on top of her, both of them emotionally raw, he had to tell her. "Then you were right. You have loved me longer than I've loved you," she teased and he merely smiled. He didn't care. As long as she loved him now… "It wasn't until the day we got back from my mom's that I realized I was in love with you," she said softly and he chuckled before kissing her lightly.

"So we both tortured ourselves for a while then, huh?" he asked and she nodded with a grin. "God Buffy, that first night I saw you in the Bronze I knew you were special," he whispered and his smile faded into something more serious. "You were so beautiful, but you looked so sad."

"Yes, but then this tall, dark, and handsome stranger came to my table and took me by surprise," she blushed at the memory of how her stomach had flipped when she'd turned to see the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen sitting across from her. When he grinned she giggled slightly. "And then later you came over, and-"

"Buffy!" he scolded when she teased him and she laughed out loud as he tickled her sides lightly. "That's not funny," he said playfully even as his heart soared at the sound of her laughter.

"It's a little funny," she protested as she finally succeeded in shoving his hands away. "Besides, I fell in love with _you_, so that should count for something."

"It does," he assured her with a smile. "It means everything."


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it. I was a little disappointed by the lack of response for the last chapter. To me that means I didn't do a good job, so I tried to do a bit better with this one. It's a transitional chapter, but I think it's necessary. I'm excited by the next chapter. I have some plans that I think will be fun to write and read. **

PART 18

Angel slid Buffy the drink he'd just gotten her at the bar and smiled as he saw how much fun she was having with her friends. She hadn't been out with them since New Year's, and that night he'd monopolized most of her time. But tonight he watched from his chair next to her as the group laughed and shared stories about their holidays.

Earlier when Willow had asked Buffy and Angel to join everyone at the Bronze Buffy had hesitated, unsure if she wanted to leave the house. It hadn't been more than 24 hours since Angel had told her he loved her, and they'd spent that time wrapped up in each other. She had sort of liked things being just between them, but when she'd stated that as a reason not to go to the Bronze Angel assured her that going out with her friends would be good. And he had been right. She was having fun.

"So how's Cordy doing, Angel?" Xander asked and Angel glanced away from Buffy as he realized he was actually going to have to socialize.

"Oh, uh, she's great," he answered truthfully as he smiled knowing how happy his sister was. "She just got engaged."

"Yeah, I heard," Xander chuckled. "Never thought I'd see the day when Cordelia Chase settled down with a man with less than seven figures in his bank account. Good for her."

"I would prefer it if you had seven figures in your bank account," Anya spoke up and Xander sighed as he shook his head.

"Thank you, Anya. Thank you for those kind and loving words," he replied and Anya merely shrugged. "So Cordy sure has changed since we knew her then, huh?"

"Yeah. Although she did nearly murder Doyle for proposing while she was in her pajamas," Angel smirked and Xander laughed. "I called to congratulate her and she screamed at me for not warning her ahead of time so she could be properly dressed."

"So THAT was why you were so set on Doyle and Cordy going on their vacation together," Xander realized and Angel nodded. "He was going to propose."

"Yeah, they have their annual ski vacation and he thought it would be the perfect time," Angel explained and Anya scoffed.

"Doyle isn't rich and Doyle took Cordelia skiing. Why don't you take me skiing Xander?" she asked as she smacked his arm.

"Um, OW!" Xander retorted and Anya only rolled her eyes.

"I want to go skiing," she said simply and Xander sighed. There was no arguing with her when she was like this. How the hell was he supposed to get out of skiing? He didn't mind taking her, but he wasn't the most athletic guy and- "Xander!"

"Okay! Okay! We can go skiing," he relented and Buffy glanced at Angel to see he was smiling slightly at the sight in front of him.

"We'll leave tomorrow," Anya decided but Willow shook her head deciding it was about time she helped her friend.

"You'll have to make reservations and everything," Willow told Anya who sighed disappointedly at the delay.

"What if we all went?" Xander suggested with a pleading look in Willow's direction knowing that if Willow and Oz were there he wouldn't be the only one who was hopeless on the slopes.

"Yeah!" Anya immediately agreed and Willow glanced at Oz who merely shrugged his consent.

"Sure," Willow replied and the table turned to Buffy and Angel expectantly. They focused mainly on Buffy since Angel had the tendency to remain silent if at all possible, but she merely shrugged and shook her head.

"I don't think so," she said and Angel looked at her in surprise. He figured she'd be all for a ski trip with her friends. In an instant all of his insecurities flew to the front of his mind. Did she not want to go with him? Was she worried what her friends would think of him? Of them? Fuck, he internally sighed knowing he needed to calm down. Maybe she just didn't like to ski. But he knew she liked to try new things. What the hell was going on?

"Buffy," Angel spoke quietly and she turned to look at him. His hand rested on the small of her back as he gestured for her to follow him. They stood and walked away from the table and he led her towards a quieter corner. Finally turning to her he looked at her and suddenly questioned whether or not this was a good idea. Maybe he should have just let her blow off the trip. Maybe she just didn't feel like going.

"Angel, what are we doing?" she wondered and he sighed as he realized that she was uncomfortable. Something was wrong.

"Buffy, why don't you want to go on that trip with your friends?" he asked and she took a deep breath and shrugged.

"I just don't think it sounds like fun," she replied but it was a thinly veiled lie and they both knew it was a lame excuse.

"Buffy, if you don't want me to go, if you just want to spend time with your friends that's fine," he assured her and her eyes flew up to meet his. "You can go and I'll-"

"No Angel," she interrupted as she realized that he had gotten the wrong idea. "It's not that. It's not that at all," she assured him and he let out a soft sigh of relief. "I just," she hesitated but she realized that the two of them were in a serious relationship. They loved each other and if they expected this to work then she needed to be honest. "I can't afford it," she admitted and he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulder. That was it?

"Baby, I'll pay for it. For both of us," he told her but she immediately shook her head.

"I don't want you to do that," she said and he looked at her in confusion. Why not? She'd told him the problem, he could fix the problem. He didn't understand what was wrong. "I don't want you to pay for me."

"Why not?" he asked and she realized that he truly didn't understand.

"Because you shouldn't have to pay for me," she explained even though she knew that would mean nothing to him. "I want to be able to pay my own way. And…it's just hard to be able to do that right after Christmas and everything," she finished and he immediately felt guilty. She'd gotten him that sketchpad and those hockey tickets, neither of which were cheap, and now she couldn't afford to do something she wanted to do for herself. She looked up at him to continue, and rolled her eyes at the look on his face. "Don't do that," she warned and his brow furrowed in confusion. "Just because I bought you gifts doesn't mean you're the cause of every bad thing in the universe. Don't feel guilty," she said forcefully pointing her finger at him. A smile broke across his face as it seemed like she could read his mind.

"Well, what if _I_ want this vacation? What if _I _want to take you?" he countered and she sighed. Why the hell did he have to be so stubborn?

"That's just not how it works," she responded and he closed his eyes briefly. He wasn't really sure why he wanted to go on this trip with her so badly. Maybe he felt like it was a milestone in their relationship, and it had been a whole 24 hours since their last one, so with the crazy pace of their romance they were about due. He smirked to himself. Yeah, that must be it.

"Look Buffy, money isn't an issue. We-"

"The only people that say money isn't an issue are the people that have money," she retorted and he felt his body sag in defeat. Why the hell did she have to be so stubborn? "Besides, you already got me too much for Christmas," she scolded and a thought struck him.

"What if we count this as an early birthday present for you?" he offered and she seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking her head.

"No, because I know you and you'll still spend more and get me a whole bunch of gifts whether we go on this trip or not," she pointed out and he groaned knowing she was right but wishing she hadn't had such foresight at this exact moment. "There will be other trips Angel. This one just didn't work out."

"Well, I'm going on that trip," he said defiantly and she looked at him in shock. "And I'm paying for two people whether you go or not, so if you blow me off then you're just wasting my money," he reasoned and she folded her arms across his chest.

"You can take Doyle," she pointed out and at the mere thought he winced, all of his bravado gone.

"Buffy," he whined as he took a tiny step closer to her so they were practically touching. "I don't want to take Doyle…or anyone besides you on a romantic ski trip," he said softly as he reached for one of her hands. Taking it in his larger one he pulled her body to his. "Please Baby?" he asked, his tone nearly begging and she could feel herself wavering. She wanted to go on the trip. Of course she did. But she felt guilty using Angel for his money. But he was begging her to do it. "Come on," he urged, that wide charming smile he rarely used now effectively plastered on his face.

"Fine," she relented and the smile on his face widened if that was even possible.

"That's my girl," he whispered as he lowered his lips to hers. He kissed her softly, his hand creeping up to the back of her head as he let his tongue tease hers for a moment. "Now, what do you say we go tell Xander we'll go with them?"

"Okay," she smiled and he grabbed her hand to tug her along behind him.

"Besides," he smirked. "I'm pretty sure you're the only one among your group of friends that can handle Anya."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Doyle, look!" Cordelia exclaimed as she grabbed his arm and pulled him to a dark corner of the Bronze. "Angel's here."

"Yeah, so? He came with Buffy," Doyle observed and Cordy rolled her eyes when her boyfriend obviously didn't understand the gravity of the situation.

"Don't you get it, Doyle? He came out _with_ her," she stressed and she felt her heart warm as she saw Angel smile at something Willow said. "And he's with her friends. He's _socializing_," she hissed and Doyle chuckled.

"A man will do crazy things when he's in love, Princess," Doyle shrugged and she looked at him curiously.

"He's in love with her? He told you that?" she demanded and Doyle winced inwardly. Cordy never was one to miss the subtleties.

"Yeah," he admitted. "But he hasn't told her yet," he added hastily and Cordy smiled. Her brother was so cute and awkward in social situations. And he didn't need to be. Anyone could see that the blond on his arm was head over heels for him.

"Let's go see them," Cordelia suggested as she pulled Doyle towards the table where Buffy's friends were gathered. "Angel!" Cordy called when they got closer and he looked up and smiled slightly yet hid a grimace when he saw his sister. She was never going to let him hear the end of this.

"Hi Cordy," he greeted as he hugged her quickly and when Anya climbed in Xander's lap a chair was freed up for Cordelia. Doyle stood next to her and she dove right into the conversation.

"It's good to see you guys again," she smiled and Willow nodded awkwardly and Buffy knew her friends weren't quite sure what to make of the former cheerleader.

"Xander's going to take me skiing because Doyle took you skiing," Anya stated bluntly and Cordelia smiled at the lack of tact that clearly hadn't changed.

"That sounds fun," she nodded pleasantly and Anya agreed.

"Yes. It will be a couple's trip. And Angel convinced Buffy to come so we'll all be there," she explained and Angel visibly winced at Anya's words. Cordy would never let that slide. Sure enough she quickly turned to Angel and when he tried to avoid her gaze she stood up and grabbed his arm.

"Come to the bar with me, Angel," she ordered and he sighed. With a helpless glance towards Buffy, Angel followed Cordelia who took him in the opposite direction of the bar. "Talk," she demanded and he shook his head not wanting to get into this here. Knowing Cordy she could keep him cornered for an hour grilling him about his relationship.

"Cordy, it's not a big deal," he told her and she rolled her eyes. "Let's just go back over there."

"Angel," she said, and the tone of her voice told him that she was being serious. She wasn't just in the mood for gossip right now. "You're my brother, and I want to make sure you're happy."

"I'm happy," he replied simply, but she knew it was the truth.

"You love her," stated rather than asked and he merely nodded confirming his sister's suspicion that his relationship was far more serious than any of his past relationships had been. "And _you_ convinced _her_ to go on this couples trip?" she asked in disbelief and he sighed.

"She wanted to go. She just didn't feel comfortable with me paying for the both of us," he deflected knowing Cordelia would take this way too far if he let her. "And her birthday's coming up. Then she'll have to head back to school. She deserves this," he rationalized and as he stole a quick glance back towards the table he missed Cordy's fleeting smile.

"So…" she trailed off unsure of how to bring up what she wanted to ask. "The other day…did you talk to her about, um, what you wanted to talk to her about?" she wondered and he looked at her in confusion for a moment before he understood the question.

"Yes," he answered quietly with a nod. "I told her everything." When he didn't elaborate Cordelia groaned out loud. It was like drawing blood from a stone.

"And…?"

"And she kept telling me that it didn't matter," he shrugged and Cordelia had never been so grateful to another human being in her life. She'd watched Angel struggle for years, and he'd never forgiven himself. To finally have someone, besides his half-sister, forgive him and tell him it was okay to make mistakes, was the greatest gift anyone could have given him. "She said it didn't make me a bad person."

"If only I'd thought to tell you that years ago," she replied sarcastically and he smiled slightly at her quip.

"It's different, Cordy," he explained and she nodded. "She's different."

"I know," she agreed and when she noticed Angel glance towards the table for the third time since she'd pulled him aside she rolled her eyes. "Come on. I'll take you back to your better half now. I wouldn't want you two to suffer from some sort of separation anxiety."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Angel and Cordelia returned to the group Willow and Oz had gone off to the dance floor, but Anya was still grilling Doyle about the best ski locations. Xander chuckled as he finished his drink and took the rest of Anya's away from her. Four was enough for her for one night. She didn't exactly need any help lowering her inhibitions.

"Thank you for convincing me to go," Buffy said quietly to Angel who merely smiled as he reached for her hand. "It'll be fun with all six of us."

"Make that eight," Cordelia suddenly added and the table turned to look at her in surprise. "What? I like to ski."

"Delia, we just got back from a ski trip," Doyle pointed out but she merely shrugged.

"So? We'll go again. And this time we'll actually ski," she said pointedly to Doyle who avoided Angel's gaze at the comment. He didn't need his fiancée's big brother to know that they had spent most of their ski trip in the cabin.

"Alright. We're in," Doyle agreed and Cordelia grinned at the opportunity to not only spend time with her fiancé and old friends, but to observe her brother with his girlfriend.

"Angel, dance with me?" Buffy asked him and he felt a sense of dread growing inside of him. He loved her and he would do anything for her, but _dance_?

"I don't think so, Baby," he shook his head but when her bottom lip stuck out and she grabbed his hand he knew it was going to be hard to resist.

"Please Angel," she begged but he shook his head again. He did NOT dance. "You've danced with me before," she reminded him and he had to think back to what she was referring to. And then it struck him. That night when he'd seen her dancing with that creep when she was trying to find a fake fiancé. Yeah, well those had been extenuating circumstances. He couldn't let her keep dancing with some…other guy. What had he been supposed to do? Watch as that guy's hands kept creeping lower and lower on her back until-

"Don't take it personally, Buffy," Cordelia rolled her eyes snapping Angel back to the present. "Angel never dances," she told her but Buffy was not easily deterred.

"Oh Angel, come on. Live a little!" she coaxed but he shook his head. There was no way in hell he was going onto that dance floor. Everyone he knew was here tonight, and no matter how beautiful Buffy was or how cute she looked when she was pouting, he would not be caught dead dancing. "For me?" she asked sweetly and she quickly leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Then her tongue traced his bottom lip but went no further. Oh hell…

"One song," he grumbled as he grabbed her hand in his and pulled her onto the dance floor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's freezing!" Buffy exclaimed as they got out of the car and headed towards his apartment building.

"It did get cold," Angel agreed although he knew that as usual Buffy was colder than he was. He wished he had a jacket to offer her, but it had been much warmer earlier in the evening. Instead he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side to keep her warm. "Come on. I'll crank the heat in my apartment," he promised.

They hurried inside and Buffy let out a sigh of relief when the cold air was blocked when the doors shut behind them. They walked down the empty hallway to his apartment and he quickly unlocked it. Angel allowed Buffy to enter first, but when he walked in he was dismayed to find it colder than the lobby and hallway. It usually wasn't this cold in here. Granted he hadn't been here in about a day, but he had the heat set so it kicked on automatically if it got too cold.

He walked to the thermostat and frowned when he saw that it was set to 69, but it was less than 60 degrees in the apartment.

"The heat isn't working," he murmured before checking the settings, but from what he could tell the heat should be on.

"No wonder why it's so cold in here," Buffy replied as she grabbed a blanket off the couch next to her and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Do you know what's wrong?" she asked but Angel shook his head.

"No," he said, his brow furrowed when he turned to look at her. "I'll talk to the landlord tomorrow, but maybe we should stay at your place tonight," he suggested and when he saw her shivering in the blanket he knew that was what they were going to do. It wasn't _that_ cold in the apartment, but certainly cold enough to be uncomfortable and Buffy hated to be cold.

"Yeah. That's a good idea," she agreed and he quickly pulled her into his arms. Rubbing his hands quickly up and down her back to warm her up, he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Let's go," he mumbled but she pulled back.

"You should pack a bag," she pointed out. "We came here in the first place because you needed stuff," she reminded him and he nodded as he realized she was right. But he would have to pack fast. She was cold.

He hurried into his bedroom and pulled out an old worn in sweatshirt. He reemerged a second later and handed it to Buffy who took it gratefully as she slipped it over her head. Pulling the sleeves down to cover her hands she felt like she was drowning in it, but it was keeping her warm.

"Thank you," she said sheepishly and he smiled before kissing her lips lightly.

"Come on. Get in my bed while I pack," he offered and she nodded as she followed him into his room. He pulled the covers back as she climbed in and he chuckled as he tucked them around her. She was adorable, curled up in his big sweatshirt under all the blankets. "Better?" he asked and she grinned in response.

"Much," she nodded and he kissed her quickly before picking up the duffel bag that he'd now packed three times in less than two weeks. He grabbed his toiletries and a pair of jeans before turning to Buffy.

"How long should I pack for?" he wondered and she shrugged. He could always come back and get more stuff, but it was an inconvenience they'd like to avoid.

"I don't know. Just pack whatever fits in your bag. You can always keep some clothes at my place," she pointed out and he nodded trying to appear casual at her request when he had to fight to keep the grin off his face. "We certainly spend enough time together," she continued and he could tell she was slightly nervous. It didn't sound like she'd planned to bring this up, but it had happened. "It's about time we started making drawers for each other."

"Yeah," he agreed nonchalantly even as he felt his heart nearly dancing in his chest. He stayed silent and he could see that she was frustrated by his lack of response, but he couldn't help but watch her squirm just for a minute. As if he'd ever turn her down for anything. The thought was almost laughable. Finally when she started to chew on her lower lip, he spoke up. "The nightstand on the left is yours by the way," he told her having already cleared it out after he'd dropped her off the day before. "And the top two drawers in the dresser," he added. He hadn't been planning on telling her he'd made the space, but when the subject had come up he'd jumped at the chance. When he'd dropped her off yesterday morning he hated that they always had to leave each other just because they couldn't get dressed or prepare for the day. It wasn't logical to have their things so separated. They needed to share their space, so he'd spent some time making room for her. He hadn't been sure if he was going to tell her about it so soon, but if she was open to it, then the space was hers.

"Really?" she asked surprised and he laughed lightly at the shock evident in her voice. "You-you did that?"

"Well, yeah," he shrugged as he packed a large pile of t-shirts knowing Buffy was likely to steal most of them anyways. "Like you said, it's about time," he said quietly and she smiled as she reached out for the drawer on 'her' nightstand. Pulling it open to find it completely empty her eyes widened.

"Wow! It's empty," she giggled and he smiled.

"Well what did you expect?" he chuckled and she shrugged.

"I don't know," she admitted as she slid the drawer closed. "Maybe papers or junk or something."

"Then it wouldn't be your drawer," he pointed out and she suddenly felt totally inadequate. She did not have any empty drawers or closet space prepared for him, and she doubted that she could clear enough room even if she tried. She had a lot of clothes. If she really went through all of them she could probably get rid of some, but she would not have time to do that before they got there tonight and he unpacked that duffel bag.

"Angel…" she trailed off, cursing Willow for not telling her about the finer points of sharing drawers with boyfriends. She'd never shared a drawer before. How was she supposed to know? "I don't know if I have room," she admitted but he shrugged with a smile.

"Don't worry about it," he assured her with a shrug as he zipped up the bag. But when he looked at her he could see that she was visibly upset about this. "Hey," he said, his voice now softer. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't clear any space for you. I didn't know I was supposed to…I-"

"Hey, it's okay," he soothed as he climbed on the bed next to her. "It doesn't matter. I don't have a lot of stuff anyways. Just you know, hand me a Ziploc baggie and I'm good," he joked and she smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood.

"Thank you," she said sincerely and he leaned down to press his lips to hers. He knew she would make space for him. Even if he only had a small corner of the room, he didn't have that much stuff. And as long as she was there, that was really all that mattered to him.

**By the way, I also have no heat in my apartment (ironically I wrote that scene before my heat broke) and it's FREEZING so please, take pity on me and leave a review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys, sorry this took so long. I'm right in the middle of finals and it's killer. Anyways, I have this chapter and it's pretty long. It was going to be even longer, but I split it up. Good news is I have most of the next chapter written too. **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks to those of you who already have!**

PART 19

Buffy stirred awake, rolling slightly to move closer to Angel. Surprised when she found only an empty bed, she opened her eyes. The sheets on his side of the bed were tucked under her like he always did when he woke up before her and for a moment she allowed herself to sink back into the pillows.

They'd spent the greater part of yesterday cuddled together on the couch watching movies. She'd fallen asleep for a little while during Say Anything, but she was just so relaxed and so comfortable she couldn't help it. Lying there in Angel's arms she'd felt like she had everything she'd ever need.

Later Willow came home with Oz and the four of them had a spontaneous double date. Willow cooked dinner while Buffy collected board games. Throughout the night Angel and Oz bonded through pointed looks and silent nods while Buffy and Willow talked animatedly about anything and everything. Afterwards Willow grabbed a few of her things and left to watch Oz play at the Bronze and then stay at his apartment. They'd tried to convince them to come back to the house afterwards, but Willow had her resolve face on and there was no changing her mind.

Last night Angel's landlord had called and told him the maintenance team had already been called and the heat was back up and running. Angel was glad to hear he'd only been without heat for about a day, but he didn't really want to leave regardless of his heat so he'd stayed at Buffy's.

Buffy smiled as she remembered what a good time they had all had together. It was the first time in a long time she'd felt like she was part of a family. Slowly she stood up, intent on going to find Angel. She assumed he was in the kitchen, but she planned to surprise him. Considering her options, Buffy sighed. He had gotten redressed that morning which meant his t-shirt was no longer on the floor. She could grab another out of his bag. She knew he wouldn't mind, but instead she put on her pajama shirt and shorts from the night before. Heading for the bedroom door she was stopped in her tracks by a note taped to the back of the door.

Buffy,

DO NOT, under any circumstances, come sneak up on me in the kitchen like you're so fond of doing. I'm making us breakfast in bed and then I'm taking you out on your dream date. So turn around, get back under the covers like I know you love to do, and stay there. Naked. ;)

Angel

Grinning widely as she read the note she didn't waste a second. She headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth feeling her heart speed up as she thought about what they would be doing that day. She knew he would have something romantic planned. He always seemed to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Angel waited for the toast to pop and glanced at the clock. Buffy would probably be awake by now, but thankfully she had paid attention to his note. He smiled as he remembered planning this day. He knew it wouldn't take much convincing on her part for him to give up cooking breakfast if she showed up in the kitchen. In their short time together he'd already ruined a number of breakfasts because of her. But this day was going to be perfect.

The toast popped and he quickly placed it on the plate. Grabbing the tray off the counter he headed for the stairs. Smiling widely he thought about the day he had planned and he wondered when the hell he'd become such a romantic. He never used to plan these things for his girlfriends before. It wasn't that he didn't care; it was just that it didn't occur to him before now. But with Buffy everyday he wanted to surprise her somehow.

He reached the top of the stairs and made sure not to spill any of the juice he had on the tray. Carefully balancing everything he made his way to the bedroom and pushed open the door. He grinned when he saw Buffy sitting up in the bed, very obviously naked under the sheets.

"Good morning Baby," he said and she returned his smile as he walked over to her.

"This looks delicious," she praised as he placed the tray on her lap. Settling on the bed next to her he watched as she took in the full breakfast before her. "Angel, this food wasn't in the house. When did you go shopping?" she asked glancing up at him and he shrugged.

"I had Willow and Oz pick it up last night before they came over," he admitted and she smiled. She should have known he had been planning this. "They were more than happy to help."

"And that's why Willow used her resolve face to leave," Buffy chuckled and Angel smirked knowing she had put it together.

"Well, Willow's a good friend," he shrugged as he plucked a piece of bacon off the tray. Biting it quickly he grinned as Buffy picked up her fork. "Try the eggs. I know you said you could cook them, but try mine." She looked up at him suspiciously but quickly stabbed a few of the scrambled eggs onto her fork. Popping them into her mouth her eyes widened at the taste.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed as soon as she had swallowed. "How did you do that?" she asked immediately taking another bite.

"It's my secret ingredient," he teased but when she glared at him he chuckled and conceded quickly. "It's just cheddar cheese."

"You can put cheese in scrambled eggs?" she responded in shock and he chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulder before picking up his own fork and taking a bite.

"I thought you said eggs were the one thing you could cook?" he challenged and she scoffed.

"Yeah, regular ones! With eggs and water," she explained and he had to hide the wince as she told him her recipe. "What?" she asked and he knew he hadn't hidden his disgust very well.

"How did those eggs taste?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Not great," she admitted. "But edible. And I didn't burn anything down."

"That is a plus," he agreed. "But you need milk or something other than water," he explained and she shrugged before grabbing the toast and turning towards the sunny side up eggs he had on another plate. Dipping the toast in the egg, she popped it into her mouth before glancing back to him.

"Once I tried to make an omelet and when I flipped it I completely missed the pan and it landed right on the stove," she admitted and he had to hold back his laughter. He was smiling at her story and she shrugged. "It burned onto the cooktop. I had to scrape it off. Not my finest hour."

"It's a good thing you're so pretty, Baby," he chuckled and she smacked his chest playfully before popping another bite into her mouth.

"And I guess it's a good thing that my boyfriend is such a good cook," she raised an eyebrow and he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

"I'll make sure you're fed," he promised with a wide smile and she kissed him again. "I would cook for you any day," he whispered truthfully and she blushed slightly. He finally pulled his eyes away and grabbed another bite wondering if he had ever been happier than he was at this exact moment, sitting in bed and eating scrambled eggs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I got so lucky with you Angel," Buffy announced as she finished the breakfast in front of her. "If you weren't such a good artist I'd say become a chef," she grinned and he felt his face break out into a wide smile at her compliments. He leaned forward and captured her lips in a sweet kiss, his hand burying itself in her hair. He tried to pull her closer, but the tray impeded his movement and he groaned.

"This has to go," he murmured as he picked up the tray and carefully set it on the floor beside the bed.

"Angel?" Buffy asked innocently and he glanced up to see her twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "What are we doing today?"

"It's a surprise," he responded and she pouted immediately upon hearing his answer. "Trust me, you'll have a good time," he assured her as he rested on his elbow next to her in the bed.

"So why can't you just tell me what we're doing?" she pressed and he shook his head as he brushed some hair off her face. "Well _I_ have some things I'd like to do but I wouldn't want it to get in the way of whatever wonderful things I'm sure you have planned for us," she explained sweetly and he raised an eyebrow.

"What things did you want to do?" he asked curiously and she shrugged noncommittally. "Because I was thinking of spending a little time in bed before we start the day," he smirked and when she smiled widely in response he rolled until he was on top of her.

"You read my mind," she told him and he bent down to place teasing kisses along her neck.

"Everybody knows that a good breakfast in bed doesn't really end with breakfast," he whispered, his eyes darting up to meet hers.

"What does it end with?" she played along and when that cocky smirk she loved crept across his face she felt her entire body flush with desire.

"This is your day, Baby," he replied as he captured her lips in his. "Just let me show you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mini golf?" Buffy nearly squealed as she threw the car door open the second the engine turned off. "I haven't played mini golf in forever because there's nowhere to play in Sunnydale," she babbled and Angel smiled knowing he had made her happy. It had been a bit of a drive, almost forty minutes to the course, but it was worth it for the look on her face.

"Well Buffy I feel I should warn you that I'm pretty good at mini golf," he told her and when she looked up at him with a grin he vowed to bring her back here soon.

"I'm no slouch myself," she assured him as they came up to the small wooden cabin where they could get their clubs. Angel quickly handed over some money and he couldn't help but glare at the teenaged boy working at the desk when he stared at Buffy's chest. Granted, she looked fantastic, Angel wouldn't deny that, but she was way out of this kid's league. Buffy smirked seeing the exchange and the boy quickly presented them two clubs and golf balls along with a card to keep score.

"What do you say we make this a little more interesting?" he proposed as he slid the scorecard into his back pocket.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked, her eyes glittering in anticipation.

"Well, how 'bout whoever wins plans what we do tomorrow," he suggested already planning their day.

"And it can be anything?" Buffy questioned and when Angel nodded she grinned widely, her own plans beginning to form in her head. Her heart sped up at the mere thought of what they would do if she won. Talk about motivation. "You're going down."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Penalty stroke!" Angel yelled as Buffy glared at him. "You get a penalty stroke for that. You hit it off the green," he pointed, his own ball clutched tightly in his hand.

"I can see that Angel, thank you," she retorted sarcastically as she picked up her ball and placed it back on the tee. "Yet despite the penalty stroke I think you'll find I'm still below par," she grinned and Angel glared at her in annoyance.

He hadn't been lying when he said he was good at mini golf. He was-usually. But it truly hadn't been his day on the course. He'd offered for Buffy to go first, but it was proving to be more of a distraction to him than anything else. And she was using that to her advantage. Her hips wiggled and he just _knew_ she'd pulled her top down a little to show more of her breasts. And she'd push her sunglasses up on top of her head to hold her hair back and she was just so beautiful. He huffed as she smiled innocently and gently hit the ball towards the hole. It rolled right in, giving her a score of three for the hole, again right on par.

"I'm going first on the back nine," he huffed and Buffy smiled at his childlike frustration. He was adorable when he got annoyed like this. He stalked up to the tee and set his ball up, ready to go when Buffy grabbed a hair tie off her wrist and pulled her hair back. His eyes were drawn to her neck as it was exposed and he felt his fingers itching to touch the soft skin. She hardly ever wore her hair up, but he thought she looked gorgeous when she did.

He shook his head telling himself to focus and he quickly hit the ball. But he'd hit it too hard and it collided with a rock set up to be an obstacle and bounced off into the nearby grass.

"Dammit!" he swore under his breath and Buffy chuckled quietly knowing she had been the cause of his distraction.

"You get a penalty stroke," Buffy pointed out just as helpfully as he had done to her. Shooting her a death glare, he stomped into the grass and slammed his ball back on the green where it had bounced off. He hit it again, but it got caught in a sand trap behind a rock. His groan only made Buffy laugh and he tried to carefully hit it out from behind the rock. But there was a depression in the terrain, and every time he hit the ball it rolled right back to where it had started.

"Fuck," he cursed as he slammed his club onto the ground. Shaking his head he set up to hit it again, determined to do it right this time. Finally it rolled up onto the green and the hole was in sight. When he lined up to putt, Buffy stepped forward, a playful glint in her eye.

"Hey, there's a six stroke limit, Mister," she reprimanded and he gaped at her. She couldn't be serious. There was hardly anyone else on the course. "And I already gave you seven!"

"I'm not leaving with this ball sitting two feet from the hole," he insisted but she quickly planted her foot in the path of the ball.

"It'll cost you," she challenged and he looked at her, but seeing the amusement and playfulness in her eyes he fought a smile of his own.

"What'll it cost?" he smirked and she grinned feeling victorious.

"Kiss me," she demanded and he chuckled while shaking his head. That was hardly a price to pay on his part. He leaned in and his lips were immediately on hers, his hand on the back of her neck, unused to her hair being pulled back. But when her tongue slid against his he realized his mistake. He was never going to be able to concentrate now. He pulled back and she smirked knowing he had figured out her plan.

"Buffy," he scolded.

"If you're going first on the back nine I wanted to make sure you had something to think about," she shrugged and he shook his head. He'd have something to think about all right.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Plan something fun for us Babe," he moaned helplessly as he crawled on his hands and knees looking for his ball. It was the seventeenth hole, and he hadn't done any better on the latter half of the course.

"Oh Angel, here it is!" Buffy exclaimed finally spotting his ball lodged between a rock and a bench.

"But…how am I supposed to hit that?" he wondered as he walked over, finding it almost impossible to wedge himself underneath the branches of the tree his ball was sitting under.

"Well, you could move it and take another penalty stroke. It would only be your tenth one so far," Buffy pointed out teasingly, but Angel glared at her, determined not to hit the double digits on penalty strokes. A man had to have some pride. Shaking his head, he resolved to play it as it lied.

With a sigh he propped one foot up on the bench and bent at the waist to avoid the tree. Yet he still couldn't get his club to hit the ball. He shifted, moving, bending, and twisting, but there was no way to get to it from where he was.

"Dammit," he swore under his breath and he shook his head as he realized what he would have to do. Taking a step back he glared at Buffy hearing her giggle before sinking down to his knees. Crawling backwards slightly he lowered himself down to his stomach and brought his club down in front of him. "You never breathe a word of this to anyone, you hear me?" he warned narrowing his eyes at her. She nodded with a grin and he grunted as he shoved his club forward until it hit the ball.

For the first time that day, luck was with him and it rolled back onto the green and pretty close to the hole. Letting out a sigh of relief he stood up, batting the tree branches out of his eyes as he did so.

"Maybe you should putt from your stomach all the time," Buffy suggested with a smile and when he looked over at her all his annoyance vanished. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I love you," he said with a soft smile and she blushed slightly when the words left his mouth.

"I love you too," she replied as he bent down and pressed his lips to hers. So far this really was the perfect date.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How long have you been planning this?" Buffy wondered as she sat on the blanket he had laid out on the grass. He handed her the cooler he had packed that morning and he shrugged.

"Few days," he lied knowing he'd been planning it in the back of his mind since the moment he'd kissed her under the mistletoe, maybe even longer than that.

"This is amazing," she told him in awe as she took in the lake in front of her. Where the hell had he found a lake in California? Maybe it was a river… It didn't matter. It was beautiful. And secluded and so freaking romantic she thought her heart might beat right out of her chest.

"I'm glad you like it," he replied with a small smile, truly happy that she liked what he'd planned for them. He unzipped the cooler and handed her the food he'd made her. She grinned at him and he settled in next to her unwrapping his own sandwich.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is nice," Angel murmured as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Her back rested against his chest, his legs on either side of her body. He'd hoped that after their picnic they could just enjoy their time together, and they were doing just that.

"It is," Buffy agreed instinctively cuddling closer to him. Her hands fell on top of his and he laced his fingers through hers. "Very romantic," she smiled as she felt him place a kiss on the top of her head.

"Mhmm," he agreed with a smile of his own. Feeling quite proud of himself he rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. "Besides me, what was the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for you?" he wondered and Buffy tilted her head to the side slightly in thought. She was quiet for a minute and Angel was curious what Riley could have ever done. Nothing could top this, right? Breakfast in bed, mini golf, a picnic by the water…it was all great. It was what girls dreamed of.

"Spike used to write me poetry," she revealed and Angel's head snapped up. Spike? SPIKE? He was out romanced by that arrogant little prick? Poetry was way better than a fucking picnic. Even Angel would admit that.

"Was it _good_ poetry?" he wanted to know and Buffy chuckled hearing the indignant tone of Angel's voice.

"It wasn't bad," she shrugged and Angel rolled his eyes. He really hated that Spike guy. He could deal with Riley. He really could, but Spike was a whole other story. That guy just rubbed him the wrong way.

"I'm going to write you a poem," he declared suddenly as he pulled away from her and reached for his wallet to find paper.

"Angel, you don't need to write me poetry," she giggled but he ignored her. He searched for a pen, finally finding one in the front pocket of the cooler from when he'd been making the grocery list for Willow and Oz. "Really, you don't. You do so much for me," she assured him but his male ego was bruised. He was a romantic guy. He wouldn't be outdone by Spike of all people.

"You know what, we'll _both_ write poetry," he announced with a smile but Buffy quickly shook her head.

"I can't write poetry," she said immediately. "I'm terrible. I can't do it."

"Try," he shrugged suddenly wanting to do this with her. "It'll be fun," he encouraged with a smile. "Wait here," he instructed as he stood and hurried to the car. He had a sketch pad and some pencils in there that would work much better than the receipt he'd been planning on writing on. He grabbed them from the back seat pocket, tore out some paper, and relocked the car before rushing back to Buffy. He handed her a piece of paper and a pencil which she hesitantly took.

"You can't laugh," she said and he was surprised to hear real insecurity in her voice.

"I won't laugh Buffy," he promised and she took a deep breath before lowering her head to the paper. He stared at her for a moment wondering how the hell he could put into words everything he felt for her. But if Spike could do it, so could he, so he lowered his pencil to the paper and began to write.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Me first," Buffy insisted knowing Angel's was undoubtedly better and she didn't want to go after him. Angel nodded and she took a deep breath before reading her poem out loud.

"_You came up to me at the Bronze_

_And all I could think was_

'_Oh my god, he is SO hot." _

She read and Angel chuckled as she smiled at her first stanza. She had to admit she rather liked that part.

"_Then you came with me on Christmas_

_Decorating, Disneyland, and more_

_It was every one of my wishes."_

She knew it was cheesy, but it was the best she could do. She was no poet, but he'd insisted and she couldn't deny him anything. Glancing up quickly she saw his gaze fixed on her and she continued.

"_And I wonder how I ever got so lucky._

_You'll have my heart forever_

_It'll be you and me, Angel and Buffy."_

She finished with a blush. She'd have failed if she turned that in at school, but the wide smile on Angel's face told her he had loved it.

"Date it," he said and she looked at him in confusion. "Write today's date on it," he explained and she shook her head as she realized he intended to keep it.

"Angel, this isn't worth keeping," she chuckled but she wrote the date as she did so. He took the paper out of her hands and folded it neatly. He wasn't sure what it was, but the innocence of her poem and the blush on her cheeks as she'd read it had captured him. He'd keep that piece of paper until the day he died.

"My turn," he announced and Buffy sat up slightly wondering what he could have written. He grabbed the paper, ready to read when he suddenly felt nervous. He wasn't a poet. What had he been thinking? He should have just drawn a picture of her… Oh well, too late now, so he took a deep breath and dove in.

"_Every day I pray that I can make you happy,_

_That I can be someone worthy of you._

_You see me as the man I want to be,_

_And I hope I'll always come through._

_You're the part of me that was missing_

_And I knew it the day we met._

_I fell so hard and fast for you baby,_

_I'd do anything for you, I won't let you regret it._

_I cherish the little moments, the little touches_

_When I can hold you in my arms, look into your eyes_

_Making love to you is heartbreakingly beautiful_

_Every day, every minute is a surprise._

_You saved my life and you don't even know it_

_I'm happier than I ever thought I could be_

_You're the sunshine to my darkness_

_With you, I'm finally free."_

At the end he looked up and he saw tears in Buffy's eyes. She suddenly launched herself into his arms and held him tightly. He slid both poems into the front pocket of the cooler and zipped it up to keep them safe. He wrapped his arms around Buffy as he buried his face in her hair. God, he loved her.

"That was beautiful Angel," she whispered and he could hear the emotion in her voice. "Spike's poetry sucked," she chuckled and Angel smiled. "That was so much better."

"I'm glad you liked it," he replied as a warm feeling spread through him. She pulled back slightly and their eyes met.

"I loved it. I love you," she said leaning in to press her lips to his. One hand came up to the back of her head and as much as he liked her hair up he pulled it free of the elastic. The soft locks fell over his fingers and he sighed into the kiss. Her tongue sought out his, tasting and exploring every inch of his mouth. She was overcome by the urge to know, touch, and love every single inch of his body. It was an unfamiliar feeling for her. She'd been starting to feel it here and there with Angel, but suddenly it seemed like the only thing on earth that mattered.

When he moaned into her mouth she pushed him back until she was lying on top of him on the blanket, never breaking the kiss. As his hands slid over her back to her hips she pulled away from his mouth. When she gasped lightly for breath their eyes met, the intensity of the moment taking her by surprise. She lowered her head and placed kisses down his throat, unable to hold back a soft moan when he shifted so one of his strong thighs was between hers.

"Buffy," he groaned as her hands slid sensually down his arms. "I don't know if this is a good idea to be doing this out here…" he trailed off as her hot breath was suddenly on his neck. Her mouth was so close to his ear. Oh, she _knew_ that turned him on.

"Yes it is," she countered dragging her teeth lightly against his neck as his hands clutched her waist desperately trying to gain control. They were outside and anyone could see them. Sure it was secluded, but still.

"Buffy," he hissed feeling her hips thrust down into his. He was already hard, aching for her touch, but he didn't think-

"I need you Angel," she whispered and his control snapped at the pleading tone of her voice. With a growl he pulled her lips back to his, their tongues meeting fiercely as her tiny hands crept up under his shirt. Feeling as if his skin was on fire he sat up, his stomach muscles clenching against her fingers as he did so. She quickly ridded him of his shirt, throwing it mindlessly out of the way before trailing her hands down his chest. His body was so perfect. Hard and strong and-

"Buffy," he grunted and she realized his hands were at the hem of her shirt trying to pull it off her. She lifted her arms and her shirt joined his on the ground as his hands came up her back to pull her closer to him. When their bare chests collided she whimpered slightly, but he silenced her with a hot kiss. She responded quickly, loving the sensation of him under her. She could feel his unmistakable arousal even through his jeans and the answering throbbing between her legs was becoming unbearable. But she wasn't done with him yet.

Pushing him back down until he was flat on the blanket, he groaned in slight protest, highly doubting that he would be able to wait very long. But when her hot lips touched his chest his eyes widened and nearly rolled back in his head. Emotions between them were running high, they always did, but he still hadn't expected this intense of a reaction to her touch.

Her tongue darted out every so often, teasing him slightly even as her hands slid over his stomach. His muscles quivered and he ached for her to reach lower, but she was enjoying watching his reactions. The way his chest was heaving with each breath was highly erotic, but Buffy was yanked from her thoughts when she felt his fingers creeping up her back. They danced lightly over the skin near the clasp of her bra, but his feather light touch wasn't enough. Sensing that he was letting her set the pace, Buffy reached down and cupped him through his jeans. With an agonized groan, he unclasped her bra, quickly pulling it off of her. Distantly she thought she felt a few raindrops on her back, but she wasn't sure, and when his hands were that close to her breasts she really didn't care about the rain.

Angel vaguely noticed the sky darkening, but nothing would stop him from his goal. His hands ever so slowly slid up and cupped her breasts, massaging them gently. She let out a moan that made his cock twitch, his jeans now more than just a nuisance since her hand had disappeared. Angel had to fight back a groan when he felt her tongue glide against the skin of his chest. His thumbs brushed her nipples and she scraped her fingernails down his chest desperately. She wanted to explore his body, but she doubted she had the restraint at the moment to do it properly.

"Angel," she moaned and they could both feel raindrops hitting their bare skin, but neither of them made a move to stop what they were doing. He wanted her, and neither the fact that they were in a public park nor the fact that it had started to rain was going to stop him.

"Baby," he murmured as his hand slid up to fist in her hair. It was already damp from the rain and his fingers ran down the slick skin of her back. He opened his eyes that he hadn't realized he'd closed and he saw that now it was raining steadily. Her body was taking the brunt of it, but he was still pretty wet himself. "It's raining," he rasped out, unable to continue his thought when she merely kicked her sandals off her feet. He did the same and she shook her head.

"I don't care," she told him and he breathed a sigh of relief before he wrapped both his arms tightly around her body. He pulled her down until her lips met his in a hungry kiss. Her tongue explored every inch of his mouth and he moved one hand down to her ass. Her jeans were wet, sticking to her like a glove, and he groaned. Goddamn, this was not what he'd planned, but it was so _hot_.

He pressed her against his straining erection and she whimpered into the kiss. She was shivering, but he knew she wasn't cold. The rain was warm…that was his touch doing that to her. He grinned against her mouth as his fingers trailed lightly down her spine. Yeah, there was that shiver.

She distantly felt his hands work their way to the front of her jeans, but she couldn't concentrate. The things this man could do to her with just a touch… Then she saw that grin take over his face and her eyes fluttered shut. Oh god, that grin should be illegal. She could hear herself practically panting as he flicked the button of her jeans open and she rolled off him so she could take them off. He sat up slightly, his eyes never leaving her body. She began to peel the now soaking wet jeans off when his hands came up to stop her. He took over, slowly lowering them revealing her skin inch by inch. Soft kisses were placed along her thighs the entire way and she felt like her whole body was trembling. When he reached her feet he pulled back and took a shaky breath. He was transfixed by her.

"You're so damn beautiful," he muttered before she leaned up and pressed an open palm to his chest, pushing him back down on his back. She easily unzipped his pants, pulling them off and throwing them near hers. "So beautiful," he repeated grabbing her shoulders and yanking her down for another kiss.

"Angel, please," she whimpered feeling as if every nerve in her body was begging for his touch. He caught her lower lip between his teeth and as the rain fell around them their hands ran over every inch of each other's bodies. She moved away from his mouth and her tongue was on his neck while her fingers traced the hard planes of his chest. He ground her hips into his and with only their wet underwear separating their bodies the friction caused them both to moan out loud. His hands slid to the waistband of her panties teasing her lightly and she had taken to placing hot, sucking kisses on his neck and throat. When her teeth nipped at his skin he growled in impatience and went to tear off the lacey fabric she wore. God he loved lace. He really loved her _in_ lace.

But her panties were so wet from the rain he couldn't get a good enough grip to tear them. His hands felt clumsy as he was distracted by her mouth and he didn't bother trying to rip them again.

"Get these off," he demanded but she was too wrapped up in tasting every inch of his skin to hear him. "Buffy," he rasped out, pushing her panties to the side and sliding one finger inside of her. Oh _fuck_, she was _so_ wet and hot and-

"Angel," she moaned so desperately he nearly came right there.

"Take these off," he said tugging lightly at her panties as he removed his finger. This time she immediately did as he asked, sitting up and quickly rolling them down her legs. She didn't waste a second before reaching for his boxers and pulling them off as well.

She sat back on her knees as she took in the sight of him before her. There he was, his hair matted down to his forehead from the rain and his cock so hard and ready. It had to be the hottest thing she'd ever seen. She'd learned that he wasn't one to be passive during their lovemaking, so she wasn't surprised when he sat up and reached for her hand to pull her back down but she shook her head. She wasn't done.

Her small hand reached out and wrapped tightly around his hard length and his whole body jerked in response. She pumped her hand slowly as his breathing became ragged and his eyes darted between her face and her hand working him like she was a fucking pro.

"Buffy," he grunted and the raw desire she saw on his face only turned her on more. She leaned down and sucked lightly on the tip and his hands fisted the blanket on either side of him. "Fuck Baby, what are you doing?" he whispered as her mouth slowly moved up and down over him. Her mouth wrapped around him combined with the sensation of the rain hitting his body was just unbelievable. He glanced down and he saw her wet hair but when she looked up and their eyes met his mouth fell open on a groan. "Shit Buffy, you-damn," he gasped as she sucked him harder into her mouth. "You gotta, fuck, you gotta stop," he warned knowing she was pushing him to the edge so fast.

She did that masterful thing with her tongue that still blew his freaking mind, and with a few more soft kisses she sat up. She immediately climbed on top of his lap and his arms wrapped around her waist to hold her close. Her lips met his, but when her soft folds brushed against his dick she couldn't wait anymore.

Breaking the kiss she positioned him at her opening and lowered herself onto him. Their eyes were locked and he swore she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever imagined. When he was seated to the hilt inside of her she rested her forehead against his, surprised by the intensity of the moment. She loved him, and in that instant she wanted to show him, prove to him beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they belonged together.

She gently began to lift herself off of him before settling back down and when his hands fell to her hips to help guide her she let out a slow breath.

"Angel," she whispered and he tightened his grip on her body. Her hips rotated and she rose and fell back down quickly. Soft breathy moans escaped her lips on every movement and between the sounds she was making and the way she felt around him Angel didn't think he could hold on much longer.

"Come on Baby," he encouraged as his hands slicked over her wet skin around to her front. Teasing her breasts lightly he saw her eyes darken in a telltale sign that she was close. "Oh damn, you feel so good," he husked out, one hand burying itself in her hair as he pulled her head down for a kiss. "So good," he murmured against her lips as her movements began to speed up. "Yeah Baby, that's it," he murmured and he knew he was seconds away from losing it. His middle finger expertly circled her clit, wet from both her juices and the rain, and she immediately shuddered in his arms.

"Angel!" she cried out as the orgasm took over her entire body and her fingernails dug into Angel's shoulders. He continued to pump his hips into her from below listening to her moan as he rubbed her clit to extend her pleasure. He fucking loved those sounds coming out of her mouth. And when she buried her face in his neck he felt his body explode and with a harsh groan he released hot and long inside of her.

Both of them gasping for breath, Angel wrapped his arms around her back, holding her to his body as he collapsed against the blanket. She lay on his chest, completely spent and neither of them could find the energy or willingness to move despite the heavy rain that was falling. One of Buffy's hands rested above Angel's heart and she could feel it beating fast and she smiled against him. Glancing up to see his face she saw him smiling as well.

"Christ Buffy, I can't believe we just did that," he chuckled as he glanced around them just to make sure nobody had appeared while they were so wrapped up in each other.

"What? Made love?" she countered playfully and he shook his head.

"I think you mean made love in a public park in the middle of a monsoon," he corrected. "Our clothes are soaked," he pointed out and she merely shrugged.

"It was worth it," she replied and when she giggled slightly he felt his heart soar.

"It was amazing," he conceded leaning down to capture her lips in a gentle kiss.

"You're amazing," she retorted with a smile. "I love you," she told him and he ran a hand through her tangled wet hair.

"I love you too Baby. More than anything," he whispered sincerely as he felt goose bumps starting to rise on her body from the rain. It was time to get her warmed up. Glancing at their clothes and the soaked blanket he realized there weren't many options. Well, he guessed the car would have to do. "Come on. Let's get you warmed up."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We probably should have thought this through," Buffy giggled as they sat curled up together in the backseat of his car, their wet clothes spread out on the two front seats in front of the heat vents.

"Mmm, probably," Angel agreed as he pressed a kiss to her wet hair. "But it was so, so worth it."

"It was," she agreed with a smile as she cuddled closer to his warm body. "I'm sorry we have to cut your date short," she apologized but he shook his head.

"We're not cutting it short," he insisted. "We'll wait for those clothes to dry or we'll get new ones, but we're doing this. Without going back to the house. That was the whole point of today," he told her and she grinned widely.

"So…shopping?" she proposed and he chuckled as he realized what he'd gotten himself into.

"I guess so," he agreed as an idea struck him. He untangled himself from Buffy and pulled his gym bag out from under the seat. Unzipping it he was happy to find a spare sweatshirt in there. She'd still have to wear her wet jeans to shop, but this was better than nothing. "Here," he offered Buffy the sweatshirt and when he saw the glint in her eyes as she pulled it over her head he knew he'd never be wearing that sweatshirt himself again. It was hers now.

"I don't know how I'm going to get back into those wet jeans," she admitted knowing they were tight and hard enough to get on when they were dry.

"I'll be more than willing to help, Babe," he assured her running a hand up the outside of her thigh. "More than willing."

"I have no doubt," she said as she grabbed her jeans from the front seat. "But I also know that with the two of us back here naked aside from one sweatshirt…" she trailed off and he sighed as he realized she was right. He'd already been thinking about how good it would feel to just pull her onto his lap. He could be inside her so quick. Just- "Angel!"

"What?" he asked with a blush as he realized he'd gotten carried away by his own thoughts.

"Get dressed."


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry for the wait between chapters again. I'm finally done with school so during the summer I will definitely have more time to write! And once this story finishes (if it ever decides to wrap itself up) I'll be starting another story, but I have a few ideas and I'm not sure which one to go with first. I have one that's AU, but not human. There's slayers and vampires, but nothing else from the show is the same. I have another human story where Angel is a PI...done a million times, I know, but I think it's a pretty well rounded idea. Also, I have one that occurs a few years after Buffy and Angel ended. Not sure which one I'll work on first. Any opinions on that? Let me know. Or maybe I should write more than one at the same time? I'm not sure yet. **

**Anyways, here's the rest of their date! Thanks so much to everyone who left a review. I hope you guys like this chapter too! Please leave me some feedback.**

PART 20

They walked into the mall and they couldn't help but notice the people staring at them. They glanced down at themselves and they could see why. Buffy was in a sweatshirt that was about ten sizes too big, her hair was a wet disaster, and her jeans were wet and muddy. Angel fared no better. His t-shirt and jeans were both splattered with mud and soaked as well. He didn't even want to think about what had happened to his hair. It was probably all flat now, he thought with a frown.

"Where to?" Angel asked eager to get out of his wet clothes.

"I have an idea," she said as a mischievous smile took over her face. He looked at her warily and she continued. "What if we pick out what the other person has to wear?" she suggested and he opened his mouth to immediately disagree when a memory stopped him. This time when he went into Victoria's Secret with her it wouldn't be so horribly wrong to picture her in every lacey piece he saw.

"We should start with your underwear," he smirked and she rolled her eyes playfully. Although logically it did make sense to start with her underwear, she was feeling a little too playful to just give in so easily.

"How about we start with your underwear?" she shot back and he winced slightly at the thought.

"Buffy, there's not-guys underwear isn't really a _thing_ like girls' underwear is. You girls have your own stores for it, you know?" he said and she could tell he was uncomfortable by the thought.

"So then you're going with no underwear for the rest of the day?" she asked knowing he would never go for that when he was going to be trying on clothes. "Because I would definitely be okay with that."

"Fine, let's just...go," he huffed and Buffy grinned before pulling him into the nearest store. She walked confidently to a shelf and she immediately saw what she was looking for. It wasn't what he normally wore, but that was the point of this, right? She guessed on the size and picked up a package and handed it to him. He raised an eyebrow at her but they wordlessly headed to the checkout counter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So…what do you, you know, need?" Angel asked suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable standing next to his girlfriend in the middle of Victoria's Secret. She would look amazing in everything in the store. How could he choose?

"A bra and panties," she said patiently knowing he had a tendency to get uncomfortable when anything related to sex came up in public. It was so cute how old fashioned he was sometimes.

"Can I help you?" a saleswoman asked and Buffy began to open her mouth but Angel cut her off.

"No," he said simply and the woman had an amused look on her face as she realized how uncomfortable the man in front of her was.

"No thank you," Buffy spoke up. "We just got caught in the rain and need a few things," she said and the saleswoman told them to call her if they needed anything and left to help another customer. "Well Angel, have at it," she grinned very anxious to see what he would choose. Would it be something totally impractical? Or similar to what she wore all the time? He'd certainly seen enough of her underwear to know what she liked.

"I don't-where do I start?" he wondered and Buffy took his hand and led him towards a rack of bras.

"Well, do you see anything you would like to see me wearing?" she asked him and he silently groaned at that question. Did she seriously just ask him that in this store? He shot her a look and she tried a different question. "Do you have a favorite color on me? Or a favorite material?"

"I like…lace," he answered hesitantly wondering how she would react to that information.

"Lace?" she repeated and he nodded as she bit her lower lip. "I do too," she whispered and he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and at the same time mental images of her in tiny scraps of lace made it hard to concentrate on anything else. "Pick one," she told him and he looked around briefly before his eyes settled on one in particular that he knew without a doubt would look absolutely incredible on her. Until he peeled it off her body.

"Here," he said pointing and she examined what he had picked. It wasn't something she would have chosen herself, but it was pretty. It was black and covered in lace with red bows on each strap. It was really nice. "Is it okay?" he asked and Buffy glanced at him surprised by how insecure he seemed.

"Of course it's okay Angel," she reached up to place a hand on the side of his face. "Now," she said with a smile. "You want to guess my size?"

"Oh no," Angel shook his head shoving his hands in his pockets, grimacing when he realized they were making his hands wet. He pulled his hands back out and crossed his arms over his chest. "There is no right answer to that question."

"Oh come on. I won't be mad," Buffy promised. "I'm just curious. Willow and I have this theory and I want-"

"Do not talk to Willow about this," he groaned and she gave him a look. "Okay, don't tell me you talked to Willow about this."

"Fair enough. Now, guess my size," she said and he sighed as he looked back at the rack. He knew her breasts as well as he knew his own body so he thought about what they felt like in his hands and he could guess a cup size. But what the hell did the numbers mean? Yeah they were sizes, he got that, but what the fuck? 32, 38? Buffy was pretty small though. He shrugged and pulled one off the rack.

"Do NOT freak out if this is wrong," he begged and she held her hand out. He handed it over and she glanced at the tag.

"Wow. 34B. Very impressive Angel," she commended him. "I'll have to tell Willow that we were wrong."

"So…I got it right?" he asked and she smiled at him.

"Yes. You got it right. Now once you pick me some panties and I try this on we're good to go," she told him and he looked at her in confusion.

"I thought you said that was your size," he said and Buffy shrugged.

"Still doesn't mean it'll fit. It's a girl thing," she assured him and he shook his head. They seriously needed a new sizing system for bras. "So. Panties," she directed and he led her to a table covered in all different types of panties. She was a little overwhelmed but he immediately snatched up a red lace pair.

"These. Please get these," he said and she could hear the desire in his voice as he held them. She nodded and he swallowed thickly. Knowing she would be wearing that bra and those panties was _so_ hot. They hadn't planned this, but they were definitely going to do it again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Do you like this shirt?" Buffy asked holding up a red tank top covered in glitter. Angel was about to reply that yes he fucking loved it, but then Anya's words about how glitter could be painful rang in his head and he rethought his decision.

"This?" he asked gesturing to a dark blue short sleeved shirt that was cinched between the breasts.

"That's really nice," she exclaimed in surprise. Who knew Angel had such good taste? "And still this skirt?" she checked holding up the skirt in her hands. She'd actually picked it out because Angel had been like a deer caught in headlights when they entered the huge store and he'd had no idea where to start. Buffy actually needed a skirt and Angel had hardly put up a fight.

"Yeah," he breathed out. "Yeah still the skirt."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Please Angel? Just try it!" she begged shoving the red button down shirt into his chest. "It'll look sooo good on you," she urged but Angel shook his head. "Well it's either the red or the yellow," she finally said gesturing to the bright yellow shirt next to them. Glaring at her Angel grabbed the red shirt from her hands. "Good choice," she grinned before turning to look for pants for him. He'd told her his size and she looked quickly knowing it had to be uncomfortable to still be in those wet jeans.

Her eyes fell on a pair of pants across the room. He would never go for those. Oh god, but he would look so good in them. What she would give to see him in those just once. Or maybe every day would be good. This was her chance. She rushed over and grabbed his size.

"These," she demanded and Angel shook his head.

"I'm not wearing leather pants," he told her but when she licked her lips he saw that she wasn't teasing him anymore. Fuck, was this turning her on too?

"Try them on," she ordered and he couldn't deny her anything when she looked at him with those wide and now lust filled eyes. She shoved him towards the dressing room, her breathing more ragged than it had been a few minutes ago. "And show them to me!"

Once inside the dressing room Angel peeled his wet shirt off and put on the red shirt Buffy had insisted he try on. He'd been against it, but compared to the leather pants the red shirt didn't seem so bad. He buttoned it up and mentally shrugged as he looked at himself in the mirror. He could deal with that. But then his eyes fell on the leather pants. Was she serious? She had certainly sounded serious. And turned on. Did the thought of him in those really get her hot?

At this point anything would be better than his wet jeans so he quickly pulled them off and grabbed the new underwear she'd gotten him. Her choice had surprised him slightly, but he could go with it. If that was what she liked he wasn't that attached to his boxers. He pulled them on and without thinking about it he grabbed the leather pants and stepped into them. He zipped them up and with a quick glance in the mirror he sighed as he realized they fit. Perfectly. She was definitely going to make him buy these. With a sigh he turned the handle on the dressing room door and when he stepped out he spotted her immediately.

She'd been waiting, and her eyes traveled up and down his body hungrily. God, those leather pants were to _die_ for. He looked so fuckable standing there. All man and all hers. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and she didn't say a word. Instead she walked over to him, shoving him backwards until he was back inside the dressing room. The door slammed shut behind them as she pulled his lips down to hers. She knew they couldn't go all the way in here, but a little kissing wouldn't hurt.

His eyes widened as his arms instinctively wrapped around her waist. Her tongue demanded entrance to his mouth and she moaned wildly against him. Here she was going crazy in his arms and… fuck, was it the pants doing this to her? Because he'd buy a dozen pair if that was the case. She pressed her soft body against his and he felt his dick jump to life. He'd been half hard all day since their picnic and it wouldn't take long to get him worked up. His hands gripped her ass and she quickly leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. He bit her bottom lip hard as he slammed her into the dressing room wall. Oh god, this was so fucking hot.

"Angel," she whimpered in a voice so desperate with desire he couldn't hold back. Her nails dug into the skin of his shoulders even through his shirt and Angel let out a harsh groan. "Don't they have cameras in here?" she asked but Buffy Angel shook his head before crushing his lips to hers.

"I don't care," he murmured, and when her teeth scraped against his tongue any remaining ounce of control he had evaporated. Fuck the cameras. Anyone watching would understand. His girlfriend was fucking incredible.

With a growl he pushed her skirt up to her waist and slipped one finger under her panties. Teasing her clit he could feel how wet she was already and he groaned before removing his hand.

"Damn Baby, you're soaked," he rasped out bringing his finger to his mouth to taste her. Closing his eyes in pleasure he was surprised when she reached between them and hastily unbuttoned his pants.

"I need you inside me," she begged as she shoved his pants and brand new boxer briefs down just below his ass.

"This is gonna be so quick," he warned and as her fingers closed around him and stroked him twice he groaned.

"I don't care," she whispered. "Just fuck me," she breathed and with that he pushed her panties aside and thrust hard into her. He buried his face in her neck to stifle his moan and pumped his hips hard and fast. Goddamn, she felt so fucking good. His hands clutched onto her upper thighs, her ass, anything he could grab, pulling her onto him with every stroke. His fingertips came in contact with lace and he sighed internally. He knew she'd look so fucking edible in that underwear and instead of taking his time with her back at her house he was screwing her against a wall. The part that grated on him the most was he couldn't see her in that underwear. And that was a damn shame.

"This wasn't what I had in mind when I picked out that underwear, Baby," he grunted as her legs tightened around him.

"You can look later," she gasped and he wasn't sure he'd ever felt her this out of control. "Just make me come, Angel. Please," she begged and suddenly it all clicked. Her wild desperation and reckless abandon. He'd only made her come once during their picnic. And she _always_ needed to come at least twice. Once just wasn't enough. After one orgasm her body just got more aroused and she needed more. And he was going to give it to her right fucking now.

"You're so damn hot, Baby, you know that?" he husked out, his impatience to feel her come apart in his arms taking over. "So fucking sexy it should be a sin," he whispered, kissing her hard on the mouth. "And you need this right now, don't you?" he asked, angling her hips so he could go deeper. "You need me to just fuck you senseless, huh? Feel my cock slamming hard inside you…" he trailed off feeling himself beginning to unravel from his own words. He'd never spoken to her like this before, but fuck if it wasn't turning them both on. "You want that?" he breathed harshly suddenly needing to hear her say it. Her body was answering with a screaming 'yes,' but he needed her to tell him it was okay.

"Yes," she answered with a low moan. God, did he know what he was doing to her with his words? Where the hell did that dirty mouth on him come from? She hadn't been sure he'd had it in him, but oh god did he ever. She could feel her whole body tightening and whimpered as her head fell back against the wall. He felt so good between her thighs. So big and hard, stretching her and filling her. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip to stop the screams.

"Come on Baby," he urged but his voice was darker than she'd ever heard it. "Come all around me," he whispered and he felt her body shatter under his hands so he captured her lips in his to silence her scream. When she bit down hard on is lip he couldn't hold back anymore himself and he came deep inside her, his fingers clutching onto her tightly as he thrust one final time into her body. "Fuck," he groaned harshly as he leaned into the wall for support.

"Mmmm, Angel," she purred, running her hands through his hair as his lips were pressed against her neck. Slowly she untangled her legs and he let her down, sinking to his knees as he did so. "What are you doing?" she asked but he merely smirked up at her and pushed her skirt back up around her waist.

"I'm not done, Baby," he whispered, tempted to rip those panties to shreds but he knew he'd regret it later. Instead he pushed them down to her ankles and she instinctively stepped out of them. "I want you to come against my mouth," he told her. He would make her come again. He wasn't going to leave her only partially satisfied, or only satisfied for the time being.

When his lips closed around her swollen clit she cried out. She was sensitive from her recent orgasm, but when his tongue dipped inside her she felt like her world was spinning. Her eyelids were fluttering shut and her arms reached out, desperately looking for something to hold her up, but finding nothing. She clawed at the wall, her knees losing all their strength, but Angel's strong hands came up to her hips to hold her steady.

"Yes," she whimpered feeling her toes curl in her sandals. How did he get so damn good at this? "God Angel," she moaned breathily and his hands pulled her down harder onto his mouth.

He would never get tired of tasting her. She tasted like heaven-a really hot, sexy, and deliriously pleasurable heaven. His eyes briefly glanced up and he saw her skin was flushed and her nipples straining against her shirt. God, she really was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Casually he lifted one of her legs and flung it over his shoulder, burying his face deeper against her. Every one of his senses was assaulted by her and he groaned. He could do this all damn day. Knowing if he took this too far they'd be starting all over again, he got to work. He slipped two long fingers inside of her, curling them slightly as his tongue circled her tight bundle of nerves.

"Oh shit Angel. Please!" she whispered feeling her body hovering near the edge of what she knew would be a shattering climax. Stroking inside of her, he could feel her wetness rush over his hand and he bit down hard on her clit. She came hard, crying out and shuddering against his hands and mouth. He never stopped the movement of his fingers and his tongue continued to apply pressure to her clit making the orgasm that much sweeter.

When he felt her body calm down he gently removed his fingers. Unable to help himself, he licked them clean, trying to ignore the answering pull in his groin. Reaching forward he carefully slid her panties back up her legs and straightened her skirt out for her as he stood up.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered leaning forward to kiss her. His tongue lazily sought hers and she ran her fingers through his now dry hair.

"You're incredibly talented," she teased and he smirked cockily as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "And you're buying those pants."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With Buffy snuggled to his chest as they watched the sunset at Kingman's Bluff, Angel thought about the rest of the night. The mall had been unplanned, but definitely his favorite shopping trip in the history of time. He wrapped his arms tighter around her middle and rested his head on her shoulder as he turned to look at her.

"Have you given any thought towards what we're going to do tomorrow?" he wondered curiously and the smile that appeared on her face told him that he was in trouble.

"Of course," she answered quickly. "I don't want to give too much away as I know you're big into the whole surprise thing," she smirked now that she was finally able to turn the tables on him and withhold information herself. "But I do want you to draw me," she said honestly and he nodded. He could do that. Hell, he _had_ done that about a hundred times. He'd drawn her about every which way there was. "You can draw me naked," she giggled and Angel let out a groan knowing she was only half joking.

Could he draw her naked? Sure, he _could. _But could he draw her naked and trust himself not to throw the sketchpad aside and bury himself in her warm body? No. No he could not.

"And you're the artist so you can set me up any way you want me," she told him and he felt himself reacting to her words. "Anything from fluffy pillows to handcuffs and chains…" she trailed off as she felt his arousal pressing against her back.

"Buffy," he groaned and she giggled knowing exactly what was going through his mind. "I don't think you've totally thought that through."

"Of course I have," she assured him before turning slightly to look up at his face. "That's why I'm looking forward to it," she winked and she saw him swallow tightly at her words. She innocently turned back to watch the sunset but his mind was somewhere else entirely.

He'd conjured up images of her posed seductively on her bed, that golden hair splayed all over the pillows with her thighs parted just slightly. And maybe her hands playing with her breasts. Oh yeah, that would be hot. He also loved her in the shower with the water running down her body and those tiny fingers following. No, he decided. She needed to be in one of his shirts. Unbuttoned so her breasts were fully visible as she sat on the counter, legs open as if waiting for him to come by and fuck her into next Tuesday.

"If you want me to finish drawing you I think you should wear something," he whispered and she smiled as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

He nearly groaned out loud at the mental image, but like a film reel his imagination wasn't done. Now his mind had her chained to his bed, a dark blindfold covering her eyes as her chest heaved. He'd kiss her hard, bite down on her lips until he drew blood and then make his way down to her neck. He'd suck the skin until he'd marked her as his before sinking his teeth into her breasts. He could practically hear her moaning and screaming his name as he shoved her legs apart and drove into her at a punishing speed. _Oh fuck yes._ She was all his and completely at his mercy to-

Jesus Christ! He snapped himself out of the fantasy and literally shook his head to clear his thoughts. He was a sick and depraved man for those thoughts to turn him on so much. But as he thought about their time together he found himself wondering if she would be interested in trying out one of those fantasies. She'd casually mentioned a few things here and there… No. It wasn't like their sex life needed spicing up. Unless she said she wasn't happy, he'd keep things in the bedroom the way they were.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Their date had been wonderful. After the sun had set he'd taken her to a romantic dinner and a movie. Now they sat at the bar at Willie's just as they had the night they'd met.

"What really made you come up to me that night in the Bronze?" Buffy finally asked and Angel chuckled as he shook his head. He'd known she would ask one day, but he didn't have an answer.

"You're a beautiful girl, Buffy. I doubt men coming up to you is a rare occurrence," he deflected but she shook her head as she turned in her seat to face him.

"No way. That's not an answer," she smiled as he glanced over at her. "Wes said you never go up to girls. So why me?"

"I have no idea," he told her honestly. "You were gorgeous, sure, but there was something else," he shrugged truly not knowing what had possessed him to go up to her that night. He just hadn't been able to resist. "I remember you were pushing your friend, now I know it was Willow, to go backstage and when she did you dropped your act. You looked so sad," he said softly as he remembered how heartbroken she had looked. "I-I don't know. I just had to talk to you," he finished lamely but Buffy gave him a gentle smile.

"I'm really glad you did," she said and he nodded slightly.

"You mentioned your fiancé and I felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach," he added and Buffy winced at the memory. "We were sitting right here and when you told me you'd broke off your engagement I felt like the most selfish bastard on the planet because I was fucking ecstatic," he admitted and she reached over to grab his hand. Her threaded his fingers through hers and looked into her eyes. "I felt something for you from the moment I saw you."

"So did I," she told him. "I didn't want to admit it to myself though," she sighed. "That next morning when Darla called you I was so jealous," she confessed and a wide grin spread across Angel's face.

"You had nothing to be worried about," he assured her as he shook his head. "After you kissed me I wasn't thinking of anything besides you."

"What do you mean?" she asked and he silently cursed himself for letting it slip his mind that she had no idea she'd kissed him that night. Was she going to be mad?

"Uh, that night when we got to your house," he began but he took a sip of his drink to both stall and give him a little more courage. "You uh, you kissed me," he finished lamely and Buffy scoffed and smacked his arm lightly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she nearly squeaked feeling embarrassed for herself even though everything had worked out. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed and Angel saw her blush furiously and he chuckled lightly as she turned and buried her face in her hands.

"When would you have suggested I do that? When Darla called or later when we woke up tangled up in each other on your couch?" he asked and she let out a quiet whimper of embarrassment. Having too much fun with her he continued. "Should I have also told me that you said I was a fantastic kisser?"

"I did not!" she gasped but by the smug grin on his face she knew he wasn't lying. "Oh my god!" she said again before she quickly downed what was left of her drink. "You should have told me sooner," she insisted unsure how that would have made this less embarrassing but sure it would have.

"You're right. Maybe when your mom had us kiss under the mistletoe I should have said, 'Don't worry, Buff. We've already played tonsil hockey so no worries," he teased and she gaped at him.

"I used tongue?" she exclaimed and she looked so adorable he had to lean forward and kiss her. She whimpered against his mouth and he only deepened the kiss until she relaxed into him. He pulled back and that smirk that both infuriated her and turned her on spread across his face.

"If it makes you feel any better, it was a hell of a kiss."


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry it took so long. I've come to the realization that whenever there's smut involved it takes me a long time to write it. So...if you like smut and it's taking me a while, then there's a pretty good chance you'll be happy with the update ;) **

**Anyways, let me know what you think of this.  
**

PART 21

Angel woke up the next morning and he knew immediately that he was alone in bed. He opened his eyes and saw it wasn't even nine in the morning yet. Buffy wasn't exactly an early riser. What was she doing up?

He ran a hand through his hair and groaned when he realized that it was definitely not cooperating today. He would need more than a little hair gel to spike it the way he liked. He smirked as he remembered Buffy's fingers tugging on it last night as he'd peeled off those little red panties he'd picked out for her and buried his face against her. Damn last night had been a good night.

Yawning slightly he glanced around the room for his underwear and he realized that Buffy had cleaned up. All their clothes from the night before had been picked up off the floor and he assumed taken to the laundry room.

Heading for the drawer Buffy had insisted he keep his clothes in, he pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He had no idea what Buffy had planned for the day but he didn't want to sleep too late and ruin it. If she was already up it must be important.

He walked down the stairs and he distinctly heard her panicked voice from the kitchen.

"Willow, it's everywhere. I-I oh god, what was I thinking?" she groaned and Angel hurried around the corner to see her with the phone tucked against her shoulder and a spatula in one hand. When he got closer he saw some kind of batter dripping out of an overturned bowl and down the front of the cabinets. "What do I do?" she asked frantically into the phone and that was when Angel saw the pancakes cooking, well burning, on the stove.

Holding back a laugh as he saw her try to catch the dripping batter with one flimsy paper towel, he leaned against the doorframe and watched. He smiled, loving that she had tried to cook for him. He knew how much she hated to cook and how terrible she was at it, but she'd still tried.

"God Will, I'm a horrible girlfriend," she exclaimed and the smile faded from his face as he realized she was upset. "Yesterday he cooked me this amazing breakfast. It was all these different kinds of eggs and they were so good. So I couldn't make eggs because his are so much better," she said all in one breath as she finally threw the spatula onto the counter, ignoring the mess it made. "And I was making such a mess of the pancakes I even burned his toast," she said in such a sad tone Angel didn't wait another second before making his presence known.

"Buffy," he said softly and when she turned to face him he saw her shoulders sag in defeat.

"I have to go Will. I'll talk to you tomorrow," she told her friend as she hung up the phone. "I'm sorry Angel," she said and he made his way over to her. Ignoring the pancake batter on her t-shirt he wrapped his arms around her.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about, Baby," he assured her. "All I see here is my wonderful girlfriend doing something nice for me," he spoke softly, his lips close to her ear.

"I made a mess," she mumbled and he smiled slightly.

"Yeah," he agreed and when she glared at him he chuckled. "But you tried. And that means more to me than you know," he told her and when she looked into his eyes she saw a raw honesty there.

"So…what do we do now?" she asked, still feeling rather helpless and defeated from her failed attempt at breakfast.

"Now _I_ cook breakfast while you set the table," he grinned and when he kissed her lightly she couldn't help but smile also.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I still don't understand why I'm wearing this," she teased as she on the couch in front of the bay window while he sketched her. "I told you that you could have me any way you wanted me," she grinned and he shook his head.

She'd encouraged him to have her pose nude somewhere, but he knew he'd never get through the sketch. They'd finally settled on a compromise and she was wearing her blue silk robe that barely covered her upper thighs. He'd had enough self-control not to have her pose naked, but he wasn't a saint. And Buffy could be extremely persuasive when she wanted to be.

"If I had you the way I want you we'd never finish this sketch," he finally admitted.

"I know," she replied with a devilish grin and he let out a long breath. The sketch was almost done even though he'd only been working on it for thirty minutes. He'd had a lot of practice drawing her and her sitting in front of him only made it easier. "Have you ever drawn me before?" she wondered even though she'd seen that one sketch he'd done over Christmas. She wanted to see what he said about it.

"Of course," he answered before turning back to his sketch. "More times than I'd like to admit," he said sheepishly and she smiled.

"What am I doing in those sketches?" she asked and he shrugged as his fingers drew the delicate lines of her neck.

"All kinds of things. I have a bunch of the first night I met you," he said without looking up at her. "Even more of Christmas. You looked so happy there," he smiled as he finished drawing the fabric of her robe that had slipped off her shoulder. It had fallen a few minutes earlier and she hadn't bothered to fix it. He couldn't help but notice that all he had to do was angle his head and he could have a perfect view of her breasts.

"Do you ever draw me naked?" she questioned and he sighed as he took in the sight of her perfect skin.

"No," he told her truthfully and she frowned. "I don't want anyone to see that but me," he explained and she stood up and walked over to him. Taking the sketch book and pencil out of his hand she set them on a nearby table and lowered herself onto his lap.

"Would you like to see it now?" she asked innocently and he groaned as his hands fell to her hips. Fuck yes he'd like to see it now.

"I wasn't done drawing you," he said weakly and she merely smiled as she stood up and reached for his hand.

"We can finish later. I have others ideas for right now," she told him and he held back a groan as she silently led him to her bedroom. He watched her hips move beneath the blue silk and he considered not taking it off her. She looked so good in it. It contrasted perfectly with her skin and he knew it would be soft under his fingertips.

He was so lost in his fantasy world that he hadn't realized they were already in her room until she shut the door behind him. She leaned up and captured his lips in a sexy kiss that was far too short for his liking.

"I was thinking," she whispered as she pulled back. "That today each of us could come up with something that we think the other person would like in bed," she smiled and he felt his body hardening as he understood what she was saying. "Nothing too dramatic," she assured him as her hands gently massaged his arms. "But something. I think we've been together long enough. And we trust each other," she continued as she leaned in to press hot kisses along the side of his neck. "Right?" she asked and he felt his breathing coming out in short pants.

"Right," he immediately agreed.

"I thought we could start with me and that would give you a chance to come up with an idea of something different to try with me. What do you think?" she asked and when her hands ran under his t-shirt.

"Yes," he hissed as her fingernails scraped over his nipples. He reached out and grabbed her hips to pull her closer so she could feel the full length of his arousal.

"But my problem is I have two ideas. So I'm going to need your help deciding. I need to know which time between us you've been fantasizing about recently. Or which one you liked the most," she told him and he groaned. "It doesn't have to be your favorite," she explained as she took in the hooded look of his eyes. "And eventually we'll do both my ideas. But they're different from each other. So today, right now, tell me what sex between us you're thinking of. What stands out in your mind?" she asked and his eyes fell shut as he quickly replayed every time they'd made love.

"After our first date," he finally whispered and Buffy smiled immediately knowing which of her two ideas she should go with if that was the type of mood he was in today.

"Perfect," she smiled and she ran her fingers into the fine hairs at the back of his neck. She smiled to herself as she remembered the night after their first date. He wanted slow and sweet, but intense and earth shattering. Well, those last two wouldn't be a problem for them, but she wasn't willing to be as passive as she had been that night. She had another idea but she was pretty sure he'd be receptive to it. "You go to the bed. I'll be right back," she promised and with that she disappeared into the bathroom.

Letting out a harsh breath Angel sank onto the bed wondering what she had in store for him, and more importantly, what he could do for her later. He had tons of fantasies, but he wasn't sure he could pick just one and he didn't know which one she would like the best. Forcing those thoughts from his mind for the moment, he relaxed against the pillows and willed his body to calm down. They hadn't even started anything yet and he was practically jumping out of his skin.

Just when he was about to go retrieve her from the bathroom himself, the door opened and she walked out. When he caught sight of her his breath caught in his throat and his groin tightened painfully. There she was in the little red and black lace number Anya had shown them in Victoria's Secret. He'd dreamed about Buffy wearing that dozens of times, but he'd never imagined she would look _that _good. And to top it off, her hair was tied up in a messy bun that left her neck bare.

"Buffy," he whispered as she walked slowly over to the bed. He sat up as she approached him and his hands reached out to touch her. When his palms met the soft satin he let out an uncharacteristic moan. "You look incredible."

"I thought you'd like it," she smiled softly and she climbed onto the bed and straddled his hips. "Have you fantasized about me wearing this?" she asked and he let out a humorless chuckle.

"You could say that," he replied and she watched as his eyes ran up and down her body seemingly unable to get enough of the sight.

"How many times?" she wondered and he merely shook his head.

"Whatever you're thinking, just multiply it by a very, very high number," he told her and with a satisfied smile she ran her hands underneath the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head. She gently pushed him back until he was lying flat on the bed and she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. His fingers toyed with the straps of her slip but he had no intentions of taking it off yet. Instead he teased her skin as their tongues sensually slid against each other. Palming the back of her neck, Angel deepened the kiss even further. She moaned lightly and knew if she didn't take control back soon things would not go the way she had been planning.

She broke the kiss and leaned towards her nightstand. Confused, Angel merely stared at her as she rummaged through the drawer. Her skin was flushed and her lips swollen and he didn't think he'd ever seen anything quite so beautiful. With a satisfied smile she pulled something from the drawer and came back to him.

"I'm going to blindfold you now," she told him bluntly and he bit back a half aroused, half frustrated groan as she let the black silk fabric run through her fingers.

"I want to see you Baby," he insisted but she merely smiled and shook her head. "Why…why would you wear that and then blindfold me?"

"I have some things planned that I would prefer you to be blindfolded for," she said innocently but the look in her eyes was anything but innocent. "I'm not tying you up, so you have to promise not to undo your blindfold no matter what," she said firmly and he swallowed thickly. What did she have planned? Half of him wanted her to tie that blindfold around him and do whatever she wanted to him and the other half wanted to beg her to let him do whatever he wanted to her. She could be in control a different time, he thought. When there was less lace, maybe. Because right now all he wanted was to kiss his way up and down every inch of her body, watching her reactions to each touch.

"Buffy…" he murmured, unsure of what he was trying to say.

"You trust me, right?" she asked even though she knew by the look on his face and the hardness she could feel behind her that a lack of trust was not the reason for his hesitation.

"Yes," he gritted out and with a wide smile Buffy bent down and tied the blindfold tightly around his eyes.

"Now, you can touch me, but if you take this off, I leave. Understand?" she told him and he groaned. Punishment he could take, but her _leaving_? That would be torture. "Angel, do you understand?" she repeated and quickly he nodded his head unsure how he'd even managed that when all of his blood was pounding between his legs.

"Don't leave," he pleaded and Buffy grinned knowing he couldn't see her. Instead she lowered her lips to his chest and placed hot kisses down the center. He could feel the warmth of her breath on him, and smell her shampoo…dammit he wanted to see her. Needing to do something he brought his hands up to run down her back and let out a quiet groan. With the blindfold on he was pretty sure that fabric she was wearing was even softer than it had been before.

His sweatpants were doing nothing to hide his arousal and when Buffy slid them down his hips he let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know how much longer he could wait. Her little hands were all over his chiseled body and her touch was a constant surprise. He never knew where she would be next.

"Angel?" she breathed and he moaned lightly in response. His fingers squeezed her hips, but it was hardly enough. "I've gotten to know what you like, and knowing that, you're going to want to take my hair down now," she told him.

"W-what?" he asked confused but she ignored him.

When he felt her lips wrap around the head of his cock, he groaned and nearly flew off the bed. Fuck yes he wanted to take her hair down. He loved to run his fingers through it when she was sucking him off, and apparently she knew it. She didn't have to tell him twice and as her mouth worked him he pulled the hair tie out of her hair. The soft locks fell over her shoulders and tickled his thighs, eliciting another gasp from him.

"Oh god Baby," he muttered glancing down, annoyed when all he saw was the pitch black of the blindfold. "Damn Baby, I want to see you." She giggled lightly and the vibrations around his cock shook him to the core. He groaned loudly, his fingers grasping her hair as her tongue massaged the underside of him. "God you're so good at this," he rasped out as her hands gently massaged his balls. "So good," he moaned again.

She took more of him into her mouth and his hips thrust lightly off the bed. She sucked harder, but kept her pace excruciatingly slow. He could feel one of her hands on the base of his cock, but he didn't feel the other one anywhere anymore. He'd felt it just a second ago. What was she doing?

"Buffy," he gasped and she pulled back to just suck on his tip again, nearly driving him mad with need. "Goddamn, Buffy," he groaned as his fists clenched at his sides, his fingers itching to tear the blindfold off his eyes. But he knew she hadn't been lying. She would leave if he did that. It was part of her game and he was sure if she left right now he would die of a serious case of blue balls. So the blindfold stayed on. He could hear her letting out tiny pants of pleasure even with her mouth full of his dick, but only one thing made her make those noises.

"You're touching yourself, aren't you Baby?" he asked and when she moaned, her lips sucking harder he got his answer. Oh what he would give to see that right now. Her slender finger sliding under her panties to her slick pussy…Fuck he was close. He swallowed thickly feeling his release building. "I want you to come with me," he told her and her answering whimper told him she was close.

Her hand fisted him tighter, pumping him in time with her mouth and his cock was pulsing with need. Oh god, she was going to suck him dry. He tried to hold back, but he could feel the orgasm building at the base of his spine. His head flung back into the pillow, he arched off the bed as a groan escaped his lips.

"Buffy," he grunted and when her movements became more desperate he felt his body unravel and he released deep into her mouth. "Oh fuck," he gasped as she took every drop. "Oh come on Baby. Come for me," he encouraged and when she pulled her mouth away and moaned loudly he knew she had.

"Angel," she whimpered and his fingers moved to the blindfold. He pushed it up slightly so he could peek out, and he saw her with her eyes shut, trying to catch her breath. And that red and black lace…damn. He quickly put the blindfold back in place so he wouldn't be caught and fought the urge to smirk at having gotten away with it.

He felt her slowly crawling up his body and he immediately pulled her flush against his chest. She pressed her mouth to his and he groaned as he tasted himself on her lips. He tangled one hand in her hair and held her close while his other hand ran over her back feeling the smooth material between his fingers.

"Buffy," he murmured growing more and more frustrated with not being able to see her. When she pulled back and placed soft kisses along his jaw he let out a deep sigh. "Why did you wear this if you were just going to blindfold me?" he asked again in a near whine and she smiled widely against his skin.

"The blindfold was a little bit for me," she admitted and he growled playfully wrapping his arms around her little body as he rolled them over until he was on top of her. "But you can't tell me you didn't enjoy it."

"I have a feeling I'd really enjoy seeing you in this," he retorted as he fingered the material just under her breasts.

"Well, fair's fair. So now…" she smiled as she reached behind him to untie the blindfold. "You can use this however you want," she told him holding out the black fabric for him to take. With a dangerous grin he snatched it from her hands.

"Baby I don't know if you know what you're getting yourself into," he teased as he kissed her once quickly. While she giggled he tied the blindfold around her eyes and stuck his tongue out at her to make sure she couldn't see through it. It would be just like her to have figured out some trick. When she made no reaction he smiled to himself. This would be fun. "You can't untie it either," he ordered as he kissed down her neck. "I'm not going to say I'll leave if you take it off because we both know that would be a lie," he husked out as his hand trailed up her thigh. "I'm just hoping you enjoy this enough to leave it on no matter how bad you want to see what I'm doing to you."

"I'll leave it on," she assured him as her fingers ran through his hair. He smiled at her reaction. He knew she would leave it on. This was her game and he had a feeling that she wanted this even more than he did.

"You better," he warned even though he knew it was an empty threat. She may be blindfolded at the moment, but she held all the power.

"I promise," she breathed shakily as his hands caressed the sides of her body. She was practically trembling as she felt his breath skim her overheated flesh.

"You have no idea how good you look," he whispered as his eyes trailed up and down her body for the hundredth time since she'd removed his blindfold. Her breasts looked as if they were going to spill over the lace cups and the thin spaghetti straps were delicate enough that he could snap them in a second. But he wouldn't. He wanted to see her in this again. "So, so good," he murmured as he dropped his lips to her chest.

His fingers slowly crept under the hem of her slip, bunching the fabric as he went. Her hips were squirming under him and he smiled against her skin. He loved when she went wild.

"In fact," he breathed against her chest. "You look so good I just might leave this on the whole time," he told her and when she let out a soft whimper he knew she was torn. She wanted to feel his touch, but she loved the teasing. "Although these…" he trailed off as his fingers slipped into either side of her soaked panties. "Will have to go," he said as he slid them down her legs. She kicked them off immediately and he felt her foot running along the back of his calf.

"Are you trying to torture me?" she whined and he chuckled against the skin of her neck.

"Just returning the favor," he told her and she pounded a tiny frustrated fist against the mattress. He held back his laughter and instead brought his hands up to cup her breasts through the fabric. She sucked in a sharp breath and moaned as he kneaded them gently and suddenly all thoughts of laughter were gone. Instead he had to fight back his own moan at the look of pleasure on her face. He knew that look. She was close.

Fuck, she was already close.

He leaned down and captured her lips, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Her hands grasped his shoulders, her nails biting into his skin in desperation and he groaned. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her hips involuntarily thrusting against his.

"Buffy," he rasped as he broke the kiss and brought his hands down to her knees to pry her legs off of him. "It's my turn now," he reminded her and she frowned in annoyance. "Patience, lover," he whispered as one strong hand slid up her inner thigh. "It'll be worth it," he assured her as one finger put light pressure on her clit.

"Angel!" she gasped at the first touch to where she wanted it most. "Please," she begged and he couldn't deny her anymore. He slid two fingers into her and leaned down to kiss her breasts through the fabric. His lips latched onto one covered nipple and her hand speared into his hair to hold him there. "Yes," she whispered arching closer to him. "Oh god yes," she moaned as his fingers pushed farther inside of her.

He growled as she quivered under his touch and he switched to her other breast, for the first time considering taking everything off her. He really wanted to touch and kiss her bare skin…but she looked so sinfully seductive in her red and black lace, the fabric around her nipples wet from his mouth. No, he decided. It stayed on.

He kissed his way down to her stomach, bunching the fabric up under her breasts so he could touch her skin. Even though it hadn't been long since she'd sucked him until couldn't think straight, she could feel he was already painfully hard against her thigh. He nipped at her stomach and she couldn't take the teasing as his fingers continued their skillful manipulations between her legs.

"Angel," she whimpered and at her plea he took her clit between his lips. He pulled her hips harder against his face as he stroked his fingers inside of her. God she was _so_ wet. He ground his erection into the mattress looking for some kind of relief, but it seemed to only make him want her more.

She was so close to coming; he could see it and feel it. And at the moment the only thing in the world he wanted was to feel her come around his cock. He pulled his fingers from inside her and moved up her body. She whimpered at the loss, but as he slid inside her tight warmth her head flung back against the pillow. He groaned out loud when she wrapped her legs around him pulling him deeper. His thumb pressed hard against her clit and with one thrust she shattered around him, her inner muscles clenching and squeezing him so exquisitely he thought he just might die.

"Angel, god yes," she panted as she rode out her climax. He was close to the edge himself and had to bite his lower lip to keep control. One of her hands came up to the back of his head and she pulled his lips down to hers. His tongue immediately plunged into her mouth and when she tightened her legs around his waist he was quickly driving back into her.

He broke the kiss and found himself annoyed when he couldn't see her eyes. With a frustrated growl he tore the blindfold off her face and threw it out of the way. Her eyes were wide and he was drowning in them. But they fluttered shut on a gasp as he pulled her legs up higher on his waist opening her up to him even more.

"Look at me Buffy," he commanded through clenched teeth. "Open your eyes."

"Angel," she gulped as their eyes met. "Please," she begged, her nails scratching down the length of his back.

"Oh fuck Buffy," he whispered as her hips rose to meet his thrusts. "God, you're so good," he groaned as he felt himself speeding towards his release. He leaned down for another kiss, this one hot and frantic as their bodies moved together.

As she moaned into his mouth he knew it would be damn near impossible for him to hold back more than a second longer. He gripped her hips and tilted them upwards, and at the sound of her scream he let go. As she contracted around him he buried his face in her neck to muffle his own cry of pleasure while his body exploded inside her.

He collapsed against her and she held him close, enjoying the feeling of his weight on top of her. Slowly he rolled them over so she was resting on his chest. He felt the softness of satin and the delicate scrape of lace against his skin and he remembered she was still wearing the lingerie she'd surprised him with. He glanced down and saw it was twisted and still wet from his saliva. It couldn't be comfortable. Gathering all the energy left in his body, he reached down and pulled it over her head. Flinging it to the floor, he wrapped his arms around her and let his eyes fall shut.

"I think I'm dead," she murmured as she lay stretched out on top of him. "You killed me."

"I'm sorry," he lied with an amused smile. He cracked his eyes open to see her limp body resting and her eyes shut in exhaustion. "We'll sleep," he assured her placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Good. Sleep is good," she agreed and they both fell silent as they began to drift off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two of them sat up in bed with a pile of snacks around them and Buffy reached out and grabbed one.

"So I would say the blindfold was a success," she stated nonchalantly and as Angel opened a bag of chips, he pulled it too hard in shock at her words and the chips flew out in every direction at her words.

"Uh yeah. You could say that," he agreed swallowing thickly as he began to pick the chips up one by one off the sheets.

"I wasn't sure if I should go with the lingerie and the blindfold. I thought it might be too much," she admitted hiding her smile as she saw him fumble as he put the chips back in the bag.

"N-no. It was just the right amount," he assured her.

"Good," she breathed a fake sigh of relief. "I know you like lace so I thought you would appreciate it," she said and Angel let out a deep breath.

"You don't have to wear lace just for me Buffy," he told her and she shrugged as he looked up.

"I don't mind. I like lace too. I told you that," she reminded him and he nodded but not before she saw the look of relief on his face. "What's with the face?" she asked and he shook his head but she wouldn't let it drop. "Talk Mister. Or you'll get it worse than that bag of chips," she threatened and a small smile curled around his lips.

"It's just that my old girlfriends didn't like it when I told them I liked lace," he admitted. "Darla wore white cotton panties for three weeks straight out of spite. Nina, the girl I dated before Darla, got offended and thought I would only like her in lace," he explained and Buffy fought back an eye roll. "And Dru…well Dru just giggled."

"Why did you break up with Nina and Drusilla?" she asked and he shrugged not wanting to talk about it. "Come on, you know about my past relationships. In fact, your fist is very familiar with my past relationships," she pointed out and he sighed knowing she had a point.

"Nina and I…we were just better off as friends. Things didn't end badly between us. We don't really talk anymore, but if we see each other we'll say hello," he said and Buffy nodded. "She was nice, but after six or seven months it just wasn't going anywhere."

"And Drusilla?" she pressed really much more interested in that relationship. She was fascinated that the insightful, caring man she knew could have had something real with the woman she'd seen twirling a doll in the park. "Why did you break up with her?"

"I didn't," he said wryly. "She broke up with me," he chuckled at the irony. "She um, she had visions. She could see the future," he told Buffy who looked at him incredulously. "I didn't believe it at first either, but by the eighth or ninth time her visions come true it gets hard to deny," he said sheepishly. "One day I came back to my apartment to find all her things in a cardboard box and she very plainly stated that she was leaving me. She said she'd had a vision that I ended up very happy with a blond woman," he smiled at the realization. He hadn't thought about that much in a long time, but he was beginning to think that Drusilla had been on to something. "For a long time I thought it might be Darla," he admitted hiding his shudder at the thought. "Obviously Dru had someone else in mind," he grinned at Buffy's blush.

"And you believe in these visions?" she asked with a raised brow. He smiled, reaching over and pulling the bag of Goldfish out of her hand. Wrapping his arm around her waist he pulled her body flush against his.

"Dru's always right," he whispered and she smiled into the kiss as his lips descended on hers. After a moment he pulled away and brushed some hair off her face. "I don't know about you, but I could go for some real lunch."

"Well, if you're up for cooking. I don't think my kitchen can take any more of my attempts," she shrugged with a sheepish smile.

"I'll tell you what," he replied as he reached down and grabbed her hand. "I'll cook and help you learn so you can make more than just eggs," he offered and she playfully glared at him.

"The toast would have been fine if it weren't for the pancakes distracting me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Just grab the butter out of the fridge," he requested and she stared at him for a moment.

"There's butter in a grilled cheese sandwich?" she asked and he chuckled.

"It's how you achieve the grilled effect," he smiled at her blush. He'd chosen something simple hoping she would be able to learn it. It didn't bother him that she couldn't cook, but he knew she was a little insecure about it so he wanted to help.

"Here," she said handing him the butter and the cheese. "You'll need this too, right? It's not some big secret that there's really no cheese in a grilled cheese?" she asked with a raised brow and he bent down to kiss her.

"We'll need the cheese," he assured her. "Now put some butter on one side of four slices of bread," he instructed and she nodded figuring she could handle that.

"Any advice on how I butter it? Usually I just slather it on there," she admitted as she shoved the knife into the stick of butter.

"Just try to keep it even," he shrugged trying to convince her she could handle this. He got out the pan and grabbed a few slices of cheese and waited until she brought over the butter covered bread. "Okay perfect," he commented with a nod. "Now put the cheese on the unbuttered side then take another slice and put the other unbuttered side against the cheese to make a sandwich. Like this," he explained as he picked up two slices of bread and some cheese to show her.

Buffy repeated the steps he had just done and smiled as she realized she had the beginnings of a grilled cheese sandwich.

"Now what?" she asked eagerly and he smiled.

"Drop it in the pan," he told her as he set his in the pan. He watched her do the same and grabbed the spatula from the counter. "In about a minute and a half we check and see if it's browned enough. Then we flip and brown the other side."

"Then what?" she wanted to know and he grinned over at her.

"Then we eat," he told her and he could see the pride in her face.

"That's it?" she questioned skeptically and he shrugged.

"Well, I cut the top crust off my sandwich because I hate how the top crust curves. I mean, who made loaves of bread shaped that way?" he wondered out loud and she smiled at his musings. "And we cut them into triangles, but yeah. That's it. Wanna flip?" he asked as he held the spatula out to her.

"I don't-"

"You can do it," he encouraged as he stepped aside and he put the spatula in her hands. "Just lift one sandwich up and peek underneath to see if it looks good."

Carefully she did as he asked and they agreed it looked perfectly golden brown. She flipped it and half of it rested up on the side edge of the pan, but quickly and without a word she shoved it back in with the spatula.

"See, you did it!" he exclaimed and she quickly went to work on the next sandwich. That one flipped easier and about one minute later Buffy had successfully plated two grilled cheese sandwiches.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You were adorable," he grinned as she held the photo album open on her lap on the couch. She glanced back at him to see his gaze transfixed on the pictures in front of them. His arms were wrapped around her and she blushed slightly as she realized how much this meant to him. When he'd mentioned wanting to hear about her childhood she hadn't understood why, but now she was beginning to see.

"I told you I liked the Little Mermaid," she smiled as she turned the page and saw a picture of herself wearing her Little Mermaid outfit and grinning widely at the camera. "That was the year I asked my dad for the snow globe," she smiled and when he saw the next picture his heart caught in his throat.

It was the first picture he'd seen of her with her father. He was usually the one who took the pictures so he wasn't in very many, but he was in this one. The two of them were baking their Christmas cookies and Angel could see the love Hank had had for his daughter. It was written all over the man's face as he looked at a six year old Buffy covered in flour.

"I guess some things don't change," he said quietly and she turned around to see him captivated by the image.

"That's why he threatened that I'd end up with a kid just like me," she reminisced fondly and Angel swallowed thickly. He shifted her in his arms so he could look into her eyes. He wasn't sure if he should ask this. It probably wasn't fair, especially on a day that was supposed to be fun rather than serious, but he couldn't hold back.

"Do you want kids? A baby?" he asked, his voice soft as his eyes bore into hers. She remained silent and he felt his heart break. Obviously she didn't. His gaze fell back to the picture of her baking cookies. How could she not want kids? A little girl to bake cookies with? Or a little boy to run around outside with? She would be such an incredible mother.

"Angel," she whispered and he looked back at her, terrified of what her response would be. He couldn't imagine his life without her, but he'd always wanted children. Could he still be happy with the woman he loved without children? Hell, they didn't even need to be _his_ children or _their_ children. He just wanted to raise kids with her. Tears stung the corners of his eyes as he realized that the life he'd thought was finally coming together for him wasn't coming together at all.

"It's okay Buffy," he lied knowing that they both had some thinking to do. Could he stay with her and know they'd never have a family? Could he really ever leave her? But she was still young, he reminded himself. He'd been out of college for a few years now. Maybe if he gave her some time.

"It's just that when I have kids I want to be married and out of college," she explained and he looked back at her in shock. Had she thought…?

"I didn't mean right now," he clarified and her eyes widened.

"Oh," she replied and he saw her cheeks flush deep red in embarrassment. "Then uh, yes I want kids," she answered quietly with a sheepish smile and he grinned as he realized all his panic was for nothing. "I don't know how many. That's negotiable because I haven't decided yet," she rambled and he stayed quiet as he fell even more in love with her. "But I want a dog too. That's non-negotiable."

"We'll get two dogs. And I want kids too," he told her and he leaned over and kissed her sweetly. "But can we agree now not to name them after either one of us?" he asked raising a brow and when she laughed loudly he knew their future was bright.

**So I know what Angel has planned for Buffy, but besides that, I don't know what else they can do together for their day spent alone inside. I'm having trouble coming up with ideas. If you guys have any thoughts let me know! I'd love some input!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Again, sorry for the wait, but there's smut again. That's why it took so long. Unfortunately you'll probably have to wait for the next update too because I'm going to 3 concerts next week. I'm seeing Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees, and New Kids on the Block on the Package Tour (3 times). I'm SO excited!**

**Anyways, here's the chapter. There's more action/plot coming up next chapter and the one after that. I have started working on it though and I'm pretty excited. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed recently. I really appreciate it. I'd love reviews on this as well. :)  
**

PART 22

"Dammit!" Buffy exclaimed as she rolled only two threes in Yahtzee. They'd been playing pretty intensely for almost half an hour and she desperately needed to get the 35 point bonus on top, but she'd missed it by three points. She slammed the cup down and shoved it in Angel's direction. "Here," she sulked as she began to add up her score for the upper portion of the score card. There was only one turn left, and it wasn't looking good for her.

"It's just a game Buffy," Angel chuckled loving how intense she got whenever they were involved in any activity that was even remotely competitive. He'd felt the same way the day before at min I golf, but it was great to be on the other side of it.

"Just roll," she grumbled and Angel grinned as five sixes appeared on the first roll of his turn. "How the hell did you do that?" she yelled in her playful frustration. "That's your second Yahtzee of this game!"

"It's all in the wrist," he teased but she scowled at her.

"I still think you're cheating," she told him as she grabbed the cup and practically threw the dice onto the table. Staring at the two fours, one five, and two ones as if they were going to change into something helpful, she sighed. Well, she still needed a large straight. She kept one four and the five and rolled the other three. When she got a three, a four, and a five she shoved the three aside and took her last roll. When two sixes were revealed, she groaned. That was only a small straight! Without a word she put a big fat 'zero' in the large straight category, having already put a zero in Yahtzee a few turns ago. She had no chance.

She quickly added up the meager number of points she had and frowned at the result. That couldn't be right. She had never been good at math. She must have made a mistake. Hastily she recalculated and was dismayed to see she had been right the first time. Angel was still taking his last turn, and unfortunately for her he quickly rolled a four of a kind with fives and had another solid score. It took him considerably longer to add up his total and she knew it was because he had so much more to add up.

"What did you get?" Angel asked finally and Buffy shoved her score sheet in front of him. "Oh," he said quietly holding back a smile as he read her total.

"Yeah, laugh it up," she muttered and when she saw his total she wanted to hit herself. He'd beaten her by over two hundred points. "We're never playing this again," she informed him. "I think you used weighted dice."

"If I used weighted dice you used them too," he pointed out and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, you're bigger than me. So…they're weighted different for you," she rationalized and he chuckled.

"Best two out of three?" he offered.

"Fine," she huffed as she grabbed the dice and put them back in the cup. "You go first this time."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You did much better that time, Buffy," he pointed out and she glared at him. Yes, losing by eighty points was much more respectable.

She was prevented from answering by the phone ringing. When she picked it up she was surprised to hear her mom on the other end of the line.

"Hi mom," she smiled and Angel began to form a plan in his head. He'd been thinking all day, but hadn't been able to come up with anything solid yet. He needed some time alone to get everything set up for them for later, but he couldn't very well tell her that. "Actually it's not a good time. Can I call you tomorrow?"

"Talk to your mom, Baby," he encouraged in a soft voice as he stood up and rounded the table to kiss her lightly. She looked at him curiously and he grinned. "Trust me. I could use a few minutes to uh, prepare," he hinted and she smiled knowingly. If that was what he wanted then she would talk to her mom for as long as he wanted her to. When she nodded he quickly hurried up the stairs to her bedroom.

Now he knew she had to have something around that could suit his purposes, he just wasn't sure where to start looking. He felt slightly guilty about snooping, but it was for the greater good. Really it was. The greater good of making her scream his name and beg him to let her come. He smirked as he opened her closet. Spotting a box in the far corner he peeked inside but saw only shoes. Those weren't going to help him. Next to them he opened a box only to reveal old school textbooks. He quickly shut that box. He'd graduated, thank you very much. Textbooks were the last thing he wanted to deal with.

Seeing that her closet wasn't the answer he quickly shut the door. Glancing around, he opened the nightstand drawer. There wasn't much in there besides some tissues, pens and pencils, and a flashlight. He didn't think he'd be needing a flashlight. He didn't intend to get that creative tonight. Closing the drawer he moved to her dresser hoping beyond all else that he would find what he was looking for.

The first drawer was her underwear drawer and he quickly shut that. If he got started with that he'd be here all day. And he was really trying his best not to come across as a creepy stalker. Perving over her underwear drawer wouldn't help matters. He searched through each drawer, and finally in the last one he found a plastic tub. He pulled it out and opened it, letting out a harsh breath when he saw what was inside. Jackpot.

He saw the blindfold from earlier, fuzzy handcuffs, four silk scarves that were heavier and stronger than the blindfold, three vibrators – he wasn't quite sure why someone would need three, but that was a question for another day - and massage oil. Perfect. He wouldn't be using everything tonight, but he had definitely found what he had been looking for.

Pulling out what he needed and putting them in the nightstand drawer, he replaced the plastic tub and closed Buffy's dresser. He headed back downstairs and caught the tail end of her conversation with her mom.

"I don't know what attracted me to Spike," she chuckled. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it was his accent," she said, giggling at what her mom said. When she saw Angel appear downstairs she said goodbye and hung up, turning her attention on her boyfriend. "How did things go upstairs?" she wondered even though she assumed that within minutes she would know firsthand just how they had went.

"Fine," he said nonchalantly as he settled on the couch next to her. She looked confused for a moment. She had been sure that after he had his plans set in motion he would take her upstairs, throw her down on the bed and have his wicked way with her. At least, that was what she'd hoped. But instead he seemed more interested in talking. Talking was okay too, she guessed.

"That's good," she replied with a nod. When they both fell silent Angel smirked slightly.

"So I heard you liked Spike's accent?" he teased and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes I admit, his accent may have been one of his more attractive qualities," she confessed and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her small body onto his lap.

"And I'm lacking that?" he asked with a raised brow and she shook her head.

"You're not lacking anything," she assured him but he let out a sigh.

"Are ye sure, sweet lass?" he asked, immediately falling into an Irish accent. "'Cuz I saw the way ya were gigglin' there talkin' on the phone," he grinned as her eyes widened in shock. "Makes me think there's somethin' I dinna have," he chuckled as he tangled his fingers in her hair. She had to refrain from literally fanning herself. Oh god, that was just pure lilting Irish brogue right there. And in his deep voice…

"Wow," she finally murmured. "You can speak in an Irish accent," she breathed out and Angel brought her lips down to his. She kissed him fiercely and he responded just as intensely. She wasn't sure why she was so surprised by his accent. She knew his parents both moved to the US from Ireland and he'd told her he spent some summers there when he was younger.

"Aye, darlin'," he whispered into her mouth. "I can take ya to Ireland one day if ya so desire," he offered and when she grinned he knew he had her. This accent worked wonders. Maybe next time he got in trouble for something he could use it…

"I so desire," she replied and he chuckled.

"Then ye're wish is m' command, baby girl," he smiled and she moaned lightly.

"Say that again," she breathed out and he chuckled.

"Baby girl?" he clarified and she nodded.

"Yes. That. I like the way that sounds," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his lips again. Her tongue slid against his and he held her close to him. She shifted until she straddled his hips and she pressed her chest against his.

"Buffy," he murmured into her mouth, his Irish accent now gone. "God Buffy," he groaned as she ground against his growing arousal.

"Did you really mean that? You'll take me to Ireland?" she asked as she forced herself to pull back from the kiss.

"Of course," he replied as he ran his thumb along her lower lip. "I have a bunch of family there. I'd love to show you Ireland. My dad lived there most of his life. He used to teach me Gaelic phrases. Said it would get me everywhere with the ladies," he smirked as she smiled widely.

"Let's see if that works. Say something to me in Gaelic," she said softly and he thought about what to say.

"Tá grá agam duit," he finally whispered and when she grinned he knew it didn't matter what he'd said.

"What does that mean?" she wanted to know and he grabbed both her hands in his.

"I love you," he shrugged sheepishly. It wasn't the most original thing in the world, but it was the god's honest truth.

"Well, right back at ya," she grinned and he chuckled. God, he loved her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They had just finished dinner, baked chicken made to perfection by Angel, but now Buffy was waiting for what was going to happen next. It had been hours since he'd disappeared while she was on the phone with her mom. She knew he had his plans for her. What the hell was taking him so long?

"It's still fairly early," Buffy hinted as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"So what do you suggest we do to pass the time?" he asked as a smirk appeared on his face. Sensing the change in his mood she pressed her body closer to his.

"Well we could always head to bed," she suggested with a gleam of desire in her eye and his hands fell to her hips so he could hold her against him.

"It's a little early for bed, don't you think?" he asked before spinning her around and trapping her against the kitchen counter. With a surprised gasp her hands fell to the counter to support herself as she felt his hard body right behind her. He'd thought about this as he watched her do the dishes and he couldn't help himself. It hadn't been part of his original plan, but fuck it. He could do both. He wanted her now.

His hands came around to the front of her body, sliding up until they cupped her breasts through the t-shirt she was wearing. As she let out a breathy gasp he dropped his lips to the side of her neck. She leaned into him when she felt his hot breath on her skin and a soft moan escaped her throat. He smiled to himself when he heard her breathing increase and he decided he was in a mood to just drive her crazy. Now that he knew she completely trusted him, he wanted to watch her desperately begging and squirming for him. He'd teased her before, but he was going to take it to a whole new level now.

"Is it okay with you if we don't make it to the bedroom?" he whispered in her ear even though he already knew the answer. He just wanted to hear it in that husky voice that turned him on to no end.

"Yesss," she hissed and he held back a groan at her quick agreement. "Angel, please," she continued when she realized his lips weren't returning to her neck.

"Baby, if you're already begging, you're never going to make it," he taunted as his hands squeezed her breasts roughly. She arched into his hands with a gasp, her ass rubbing against his arousal and she moaned. She was so wet…

"Then I'm not going to make it," she whimpered as her hands came up to cover his, encouraging him to touch her, claim her. "Angel, I need you," she pleaded and he let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. God he loved it when she said that. If he could hear one thing for the rest of his life, that would be it.

Pulling his hands from hers, he moved down to pull her shirt over her head. Before it even touched the floor his hands were on her bare breasts, tweaking her nipples until she moaned out loud. She turned her head slightly, and he immediately took advantage of the opportunity. His lips were on hers, devouring every inch of her mouth and he groaned at the taste of her. He violently broke the kiss and she turned back towards the counter as his hands crept down her stomach.

"Your skin is always so soft," he murmured in her ear as his fingers lazily caressed her stomach. "I can't get enough of touching you," he breathed out as his lips fell to her where her neck met her shoulder. She shuddered under his touch and he placed hot, sucking kisses along her skin. After hearing a few breathless gasps come from her mouth he couldn't take it anymore and he finally pushed her sweatpants and panties down her hips in one motion. She kicked them away and moaned as his fingers danced delicately around her hips.

"Just touch me, Angel," she begged and he smirked behind her.

"What do you want?" he asked and she let out a frustrated sigh because they both knew he knew the answer. Hell, he probably knew better than she did.

"Angel," she warned and he slipped one finger down to the juncture between her thighs. Brushing gently along her center he had to close his eyes for a moment to revel in how wet she was.

"Is this what you had in mind?" he wanted to know as he pressed softly against her clit.

"Yes," she gasped and tried to grind into his hand but he moved it away too quickly.

"Or did you want me to fuck you with my fingers?" he whispered gruffly and she moaned out loud as he slid two fingers inside her.

"God yes, that," she replied, one of her arms winding behind her to wrap around his neck.

"You're so tight," he gritted out, massaging inside of her as she writhed against him. "And so fucking hot," he added and her mouth fell open in a breathless gasp. He knew she liked it when he talked to her during sex and he decided then and there to add to his plan and figure out just how much she liked him to talk. Lowering his voice, he began, "When I touch you like this I can't wait to get my cock inside you. And you can't wait for that either. You want to feel me inside you, don't you? I'm so hard and ready for you Baby."

She cried out as a surge of desire swept through her as she heard those words leave his mouth. She had always loved dirty talk. When Spike had taught her she'd taken to it immediately, but it had never been like this. Angel's voice sounded like velvet, so deep and rich washing over her body.

"Oh, you're so wet I'll slide right in," he grunted thrusting his fingers a few times to prove his point. "And then when I'm stretching you from the inside out, I'll pinch your nipples so hard you scream."

"Angel," she whimpered writhing her hips against his hand. One of his fingers pressed against her clit hard and she cried out. A low groan escaped his lips as he dropped his mouth to her shoulder. He placed hot kisses on her skin, sucking and nibbling as he drove her closer to the edge. There was just nothing hotter than her coming apart in his arms.

He could feel her walls fluttering around his fingers and her hips were moving faster. She was close. Just as she was on the brink of exploding he removed his hand and she gasped in disbelief. He spun her around and she was facing him just in time to watch him lick his fingers clean.

"Why did you stop?" she sputtered out, and his eyes darkened with desire. He reached down and easily picked her up in his arms.

"I know I said it was early," he replied as she locked her arms around his neck. "But the things I want to do to you require a bed," he told her as he hurried up the stairs towards her bedroom. Walking quickly through the door he kicked it shut behind him. While he was heading towards the bed, Buffy leaned in and sucked hungrily on the thick cords of his throat. He let out a harsh breath and they both fell onto the bed, him covering her body. Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds before he captured her lips with his. The kiss was searing hot and even without his hands anywhere on her body her skin was on fire.

Their tongues dueled and at the same moment they both decided they needed to move this along. Pulling back out of necessity, two sets of hands reached for the hem of his t-shirt. He flung it carelessly to the floor and she sucked in a breath. Her hands reached out and ran down his arms before she yanked him back down on top of her, their chests colliding. He could feel her soft breasts against his chest and he groaned, muffling the sound by sucking on her collar bone.

Her hips were rolling under him and despite the pleasure he got from it, he had an objective. He was going to make her scream. Sitting up quickly he reached over to the nightstand drawer and pulled out two scarves. That was all he was going to use…tonight anyways.

"Angel, what are you doing?" she gasped and he quickly grabbed one of her arms, securing her wrist on the headboard with one of the scarves. She swallowed thickly at the realization that he was tying her up and she could feel her nipples tighten and the incessant throbbing between her legs increase.

"Do you remember when I told you I'd tie you up, fuck you, and do anything else you wanted me to do?" he asked as he tied her other wrist to the headboard.

"Yes," she choked out as she instinctively strained against the scarves. But he'd tied them well. There was no give. She didn't think she'd be able to get out of them if she tried. Where the hell did he learn to tie people up like this? They'd talked about it and it didn't seem like he'd ever done this before. And at that thought she held back another moan. She was bringing this side of him out, and she loved that.

"Well, tonight I'll be doing at least those first two things," he told her confidently. His gaze met hers as he held himself up above her. "I tied you up, and soon I'm going to fuck you hard. Right into this mattress," he promised and she moaned, feeling the pounding between her legs intensifying with his words. "All you have to do," he murmured as he bent down to kiss along her neck. "Is lie back and wait. I'm going to make you come until you can't breathe."

"Angel!" she cried when his thumbs brushed over her nipples. "I can't take it, please."

At her plea, he kissed his way down the center of her body, avoiding her breasts even when she let out a soft sound of displeasure. Finding it impossible to hold back, he dipped his tongue into her belly button and she squirmed even more. But he didn't want to make her wait anymore. Hell, _he_ didn't want to wait anymore.

He continued his path downwards, bringing his hands up to rest on her hips. His tongue darted out against the hard bundle of nerves at her core and she moaned in surprise. She'd thought he was going to go slow, but the way he sucked her clit into his mouth like it was his favorite candy was anything but slow. Without removing his mouth he looked up at her face and saw a look of pure ecstasy there. He knew she was almost there. She'd been so close in the kitchen.

"Angel," she breathed and he bit down on her clit. A loud moan was her only response as she felt waves of pleasure beginning to take over. Another pass of his tongue and she was sent flying, pulling at her restraints as he nibbled and licked her throughout her orgasm. "Oh god," she whispered when he finally removed his mouth. Her eyes were shut and she was expecting him to crawl back up her body, but instead she felt two long fingers thrust inside of her. "Fuck!" she exclaimed instinctively moving her hips against his hand. "Angel, what are you doing?"

"I love the way you taste," he told her, his voice filled with lust. "But I love watching your face as you come too. It's so fucking sexy," he husked out and all the air left her lungs as he kept working her towards another release. He felt his balls tighten painfully when she squirmed underneath him and he bit back a groan.

"Oh god," she mumbled and while maintaining the rhythm he had with his fingers, he bent down to place kisses along her inner thighs. Her muscles were taught and he loved the feeling of her so on edge underneath him.

"Let it go Baby," he urged quietly and she whimpered at the sensation of his hot breath against her core. "I want to feel you come on my fingers," he told her at the same moment that he tilted his fingers upwards. She moaned helplessly and her back arched, forcing her hips closer to him. "Now," he ordered knowing his words would drive her over the edge.

Sure enough, as soon as the words left his mouth he heard her loud gasp as a second stronger release whipped through her. She was contracting hard around his fingers and he slowed them, but didn't remove them.

"Angel, what…what are you doing?" she asked breathlessly as she craned her neck so she could see him.

"I want you to come again," he said huskily and the whimper that came from her throat made his already aching cock harden even more. God, he didn't think he'd ever been this hard in his life.

"I can't," she shook her head falling back on the mattress feeling as if her whole body was overstimulated.

"Yes you can," he replied confidently and when his thumb brushed her clit lightly she knew he was right. She let out a tiny moan and felt her hips working against his hand. God, he was incredible… "That's it, Baby," he encouraged in a voice that just oozed sex. "I'll build it up slow. Then you'll crash over the edge so…fucking…hard you'll be screaming my name." He thrust his fingers in and out of her and Buffy felt speechless. When his mouth came down and sucked her clit hard she let out a loud moan.

"Yes," she gasped. "Yes Angel, don't stop," she begged and he groaned as tasted her. She tasted better every damn time. His tongue darted out greedily and she thrust her hips upwards, the familiar tightening building within her body. When he sensed that she was close he sucked harder and increased the pace of his fingers. God, he fucking loved that he could drive her wild like this. Her hands clenched into fists and she cried out, her body trembling above him in exquisite pleasure. His name escaped her lips in desperate whimpers, and gently he removed his fingers and crawled up her body.

"I love watching you come," he murmured and she found herself transfixed by the look in his eyes. "It's so fucking hot I can't stand it," he rasped out before attacking her lips with his. He kissed her hungrily, groaning into her mouth when her nipples scraped against his chest. "God Buffy…" he trailed off as he dropped his lips to her neck.

He was growing more and more impatient by the second and he seriously doubted he could last much longer without being inside her. He was grinding against her and she wrapped a leg around his hip. She sighed in frustration when his sweatpants were in the way. As if reading her mind, he immediately reached down to shove them down his hips.

"Angel," she breathed, the air rushing out of her lungs as he hovered over her. She wanted to wrap her arms around his shoulders, run her fingers through his hair...just touch him somehow. But she couldn't. And she loved that too. He'd just blown her mind three times, but her body still craved him. She felt empty, and craved feeling his hard flesh all around her and inside her. She couldn't wait anymore. She'd been teased long enough.

"Get inside me Angel," she ordered. Without another thought, he pulled one of her thighs roughly over his hip and thrust hard and deep into her.

"Oh fuck, Buffy," he groaned, bracing one hand on the headboard above her and the other tangled in the sheets near her head. "You feel so goddamn good," he whispered through clenched teeth, his hips driving into her relentlessly.

"So do you," she moaned wrapping both her legs around his waist to pull him in deeper. She wanted to feel every inch of him.

"Shit, Baby," he gritted out. She just felt so perfect around his dick, squeezing him, urging him on. As she arched upwards, he bent down and fastened his lips to her left nipple. He sucked hard, the fast rhythm of their lower bodies never faltering. For the first time, their coupling was nothing but hard and fast. It was primal, carnal, and so damn satisfying.

"Angel," she breathed as she watched him with his lips attached to her breast. "I love when you touch me like that," she told him.

"Like this?" he asked kissing it gently. "Or like this?" he offered before biting down on the soft flesh. His tongue swirled around the red marks from his teeth and she shuddered at the sensation.

"Either way. Just...any way you want to touch me," she said and if he hadn't been so fucking close to losing his mind inside this tiny gorgeous blond, he may have laughed. Getting her off had practically sent him over the edge and he didn't seem to have any control left.

"Buffy, I'm…" he gasped, desperately trying to hold back but knowing he wasn't far off. "I can't…I can't-"

"I'm so close Angel," she whispered and when she tightened her legs around his waist his hips moved faster than they had been. He brought his hand down between them, quickly finding her bundle of nerves and pressing it hard. At the look on her face he couldn't hold back and with a loud groan he exploded into her. "Oh god yes!" she gasped as she felt her release triggered by his. "Angel," she whimpered as his body collapsed against her.

He shifted to his side so he didn't crush her, but they were both panting, trying to catch their breath. His arm rested across her stomach, his face buried in her hair and he felt his heart racing. She moved closer to him, her body totally sated, but when she tried to wrap her arm around his shoulder she realized she was still tied up.

"Angel?"

"Hmm?" he murmured, burying his face further in her hair. She smelled so good…

"Do you think you could untie me now?" she asked and his eyes flew open.

"Right," he gave her a sheepish smile as he sat up. "Sorry Baby," he said as he untied her. He massaged each of her wrists as he freed them and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips.

"You're forgiven," she assured him as he rolled and pulled her on top of him. "And extremely talented," She grinned as he smirked down at her.

"You enjoyed yourself?" he raised an eyebrow and she rested her head against his chest.

"You know I did."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Fred?" Angel mumbled half asleep as he answered his phone almost an hour later. Buffy was still asleep on top of him and he thought about getting out of bed so he wouldn't wake her, but he didn't think he could move without waking her either. So instead he pulled her closer and shut his eyes. "What's wrong, Fred?"

"Nothing Angel. I'm sorry if this is a bad time," she babbled as she realized she'd woken him up even though it was early in the evening. "I just thought you should know Wes and I are coming home tonight."

"What?" Angel asked, his mind still groggy from sleep and sex, was unable to comprehend what Fred was telling him.

"We're coming back to Sunnydale," Fred clarified. "Your mom's doing better, and her neighbor sort of moved in to help her so we're really not needed here anymore," she explained and Angel finally felt his brain starting to work.

"That's great, Fred," he told her truthfully. "Thanks for calling," he said as he felt Buffy stirring awake.

"Of course. I'll let you go. We can catch up tomorrow," she said but suddenly Angel had an idea.

"Actually we're all going on a ski trip tomorrow. You and Wes should come. Cordy and Doyle are coming too," he added and Buffy shot him a sleepy smile telling him it was more than okay with her if his friends came along.

"Well, I'll ask Wes, but I'm sure he'll go," she replied and Angel grinned.

"Great. I'll send you directions tonight," he told her before saying goodbye and hanging up. As soon as he did his phone rang again and he frowned when Darla's name came up on the display.

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked and he shrugged.

"Darla's calling me," he told her honestly and she rolled her eyes. He shrugged and hit ignore before setting his phone back on the nightstand. "So Fred and Wes are coming?" Buffy asked as Angel wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Probably," he answered. "That reminds me, I need to head home and pack," he told her but when she pouted and snuggled closer to him he knew she wouldn't be letting him go without a fight.

"You don't have to go tonight," she protested and he just knew she used those eyes wide because she knew how hard it made it for him to resist her. "Besides, you have a bunch of clothes and stuff here. Just pack here."

"I don't have my winter clothes here. We'll need coats and gloves," he pointed out and she wrinkled her nose at him before flopping back against his chest. "And we're leaving early tomorrow. I won't have time to pack because you know we won't get up early if I stay here."

"I promise I'll be good if you stay here. I'll let you leave very early tomorrow morning so you'll have plenty of time to pack," she promised and he could feel himself faltering. He didn't want to leave tonight either, but logically it made the most sense. And he _knew_ he wouldn't be leaving her house early tomorrow morning. Even if she let him he had a terrible habit of ravishing her the second she woke up. She just looked so damn beautiful in the mornings with her sleepy eyes, pouty lips, and tousled hair.

"I'll stay," he finally said while sighing internally. He was such a lost cause.


	23. Chapter 23

**So aside from a few rude New Kids on the Block fans I had a great time at the concerts. All 3 bands were amazing, and I still found time to write! **

**Here we start the ski trip with all 4 couples. It begins another part of the plot, a bit of another conflict for our favorite couple. I couldn't keep them too happy, now could I? I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy it! Leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

PART 23

Angel hurried around his apartment gathering everything he'd need for the trip. He had been right the night before when he'd said he'd be late if he started packing this morning. He'd left Buffy's over an hour later than he should have. It wasn't her fault. She'd even woken up before him and gotten out of bed to pack herself. But when he'd heard her in the shower he just hadn't been able to resist. They really needed to make more of a habit of showering together because he really enjoyed when they did that.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind he groaned as he heard a key turning in his door. That could only be one person. Speaking of that, he should really give Buffy a key.

"Dammit Angel, where are you?" Cordelia yelled as she slammed the door behind her. He walked out of his bedroom, surprised to find her so upset.

"What's wrong, Cordy?" he asked and she scoffed.

"What's wrong is that my brother has been lying to me for the past month!" she screamed as she stomped forward to shove him backwards.

"W-what are you talking about?" he sputtered as he stared at her face, her eyes dark and her jaw set in anger.

"You and Buffy. Doyle told me!" she shoved him again and ignored the small yelp of pain that came from her brother. "When were _you_ going to tell me, huh?" she demanded. "When were you going to tell me that you weren't really dating her?"

"Cordy calm down," he begged as he finally understood what she was so mad about. "I knew Doyle was going to propose and I didn't want you to miss out."

"That's a bullshit excuse, Angel. You've been lying for weeks since then," she accused and he realized that Doyle hadn't told her everything. Or more likely, she had stormed out and been at the door of Angel's apartment before Doyle had been able to finish. Would it have killed Doyle to give his best friend a warning call?

"No I haven't," he said calmly which only infuriated Cordelia more.

"Yes Angel, you have. And you're sleeping with her. I thought you were better than that," she spit out and he stayed quiet letting her get it all out. "What, are you back to your old ways? Did your breakup with Darla mess you up _that_ much? Or are you still fucking her too?"

"No Cordy," he said curtly fixing her with a glare that even silenced Cordelia. "Things with Buffy started as a way to get you to go on the trip and to convince her mom she had a fiancé. But now it's real. Very real."

"Angel," she began skeptically but he shook his head.

"Don't even try it Cordelia," he spoke in an even tone that she knew meant he was trying not to scream in her face. "I love Buffy. I have for a while, and since New Year's we've been official. So whatever you're thinking, you're wrong."

"You love her?" she asked and he sighed. Of course _that_ would be what she picked up on.

"Yes," he breathed as he leaned against the wall behind him.

"And you both knew it was a fake relationship when it started?" she questioned wanting to make sure that neither of them had been taken advantage of.

"Yes," he replied and she nodded.

"Well then, aside from this being incredibly stupid, I guess there's nothing wrong with it. But why did you tell Doyle?" she wondered and the corners of Angel's mouth quirked up at her annoyance.

"He guessed. The only other people that knew were Willow and Xander. And maybe Oz," he added as an afterthought. "I never know what he's thinking."

"Nobody does," Cordy agreed when there was an incessant pounding on the door. "Expecting your little blond?" Angel shook his head and stalked to the door, pulling it open in frustration. He definitely did not have time for all these visitors. He was already late. When the door opened he rolled his eyes and considered slamming it shut when he saw who was on the other side.

"My dear boy," Darla breathed out as she forced her way into the apartment. Cordelia hid herself in the bedroom so she could eavesdrop on the conversation without Darla knowing she was there. "It's so good to finally see you again."

"What do you want, Darla?" Angel asked, his voice hard and unforgiving as he stared at his ex in his living room.

"You, Angel," she answered as she stepped closer to him. "We made a mistake ending things between us," she purred as she reached a hand up to cup the side of his cheek. He stepped away from her touch and she hid the annoyance she felt at his rejection.

"The only mistake we made was staying together as long as we did," Angel shot back and Cordy had to hold back from screeching in delight. "It's over Darla. So what are you doing here?"

"Angel, my boy," she said as she sauntered over to him. He didn't move even as she neared because he knew she was looking for a reaction. If he moved, she would know how angry he was and she would know just how to push his buttons. "I'm back. You don't have to pretend to care for that cheerleader anymore."

"How do you know about Buffy?" he snapped and she smirked knowing she'd hit a nerve.

"Buffy? So that's her name," she mused as she placed a hand on his chest. "She doesn't know you, lover," she whispered. "Not like I do."

"She knows me better than you ever did," he shot back but she ignored him. "In fact, the two of us are going on a vacation together this weekend. Something you and I never did."

"Oh, I know you spend all your time with her. I know you were there this morning," she breathed and his eyes hardened.

"Are you following me?" he asked reaching out to grab her upper arms. "Are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Darling. Her house was on my way home and I saw your car," she stated and Angel didn't even bother to ask whose house she'd been driving home from.

"You better get out of here before you end up hurt," Angel warned but Darla merely chuckled.

"You would never hit me, Angel. You're far too noble," she replied even as he dragged her to the door.

"I wouldn't hit you," Angel agreed as he reached the door. "But Buffy would."

"So would I!" Cordelia yelled from the other room as Angel opened the door and threw Darla out. Shutting it and locking it behind her Angel ran a hand through his hair. Taking a deep breath he shook his head. He thought Dru was supposed to be his crazy ex.

"That is one crazy bitch," Cordelia commented as she came back into the living room. When Angel didn't bother defending her, Cordy knew all his feelings for her were gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So Xander, are you guys at the lodge?" Buffy spoke into the phone as Angel drove them up north.

"Yep. Everyone but you two, Cordy, and Doyle are here. And there's also two people here none of us have ever met," he added in confusion and Buffy chuckled.

"That's probably Fred and Wes. They're friends of Angel and Cordelia," she explained and Xander glanced towards the two strangers checking in at the desk.

"An awkwardly rugged Englishman and a soft-spoken Willow-esque girl?" he asked and Buffy laughed at his oh-so-accurate descriptions.

"That's them," she confirmed. "So I heard you didn't bring any skis with you?"

"I didn't know we needed them!" he defended himself having already been the laughing stock amongst the group of friends over that story. "I thought…I don't know, that they came with the room or something."

"Like the chocolates on the pillow?" Buffy teased and Xander grumbled into the phone. "Did you rent some skis?" she asked and Xander sighed.

"Yeah. Anya refused to let me just sit by the fire every day," he told her.

"Anya brought skis?" Buffy laughed and Angel smiled over at her. They were still over an hour away from the lodge, but she was adorable with her winter coat on even in the car.

"Yep. They're waxed, she's psyched. How 'bout you?" he replied

"We're psyched too. And we did bring skis."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is pretty cool," Angel commented as he looked around their room at the lodge. He hadn't told Buffy, but he'd paid extra to get a great view of the snow covered mountains and he was glad he had. Buffy grinned as she stepped into the room, loving the separated seating area, kitchenette, and bedroom.

"This is awesome," Buffy corrected as she ran her hand over the dark red bedspread. "Let's go see the bathroom," she nearly squealed before darting towards the bathroom door in the corner. Angel set their bags down and hurried to follow her. He heard a gasp as she opened the door and walked up behind her to get a better look at the bathroom.

"Wow," he said when he saw it for himself. "That's a uh…nice tub," he stated lamely as he stared straight at it, unable to get images of a naked Buffy lying there in the water out of his head.

"Uh huh," she answered, similar pictures running through her mind. "And that's a nice shower," she added pointing to the other side of the room. Angel turned and gulped as he remembered his thoughts from this morning. They would definitely both fit in there. In a number of different…ways. There were multiple showerheads and he could feel his body responding. There was a lot they could do in there.

"We don't have to ski right away, do we?" he smirked and she turned, only to be assaulted by his kisses. She moaned into his mouth as she ran her fingers through his hair. God, she could just not get enough of this man. It didn't matter what they did, she always wanted more. And, she smirked to herself, it seemed he did too.

"Angel," she whimpered as his lips dropped to her neck. He backed her up against the wall, grinding his growing arousal against her. She clawed at his shoulders, her mouth falling open in a silent scream as he sucked at the pulse point in her throat. Reaching between them, she cupped him roughly through his jeans. Hearing him groan at her touch she squeezed harder and he thrust into her hand.

Suddenly the ringing of a phone interrupted them and Buffy realized it was coming from her pocket.

"Don't answer it," Angel pleaded as he rested his forehead against her shoulder. "Please Baby, don't answer it."

"It's Willow," Buffy sighed having recognized the ringtone. "I have to," she said regretfully. "Hey Will," she spoke casually into the phone, but all hope of hiding what they were doing was lost when Angel's hands slid under the hem of her shirt. He reached up and firmly squeezed her breasts, eliciting a gasp from Buffy.

"Buffy!" Willow scolded immediately recognizing the sound. "You and Angel just locked yourselves in the house for 24 hours and you still can't stop with the smoochies?"

"Sorry Will, I just-" she bit into her lip to stop the moan as he yanked the cups of her bra down to thumb her nipples.

"Well, we're all meeting for dinner. Then we're going out for one last run before the slopes close down for the night. And if you're not at dinner we're all coming to the room to get you!" Willow exclaimed before she hung up.

"Angel," Buffy whimpered and he growled in frustration.

"I heard," he grumbled. She pushed him away gently and took a few deep breaths to clear her head.

"We have to go downstairs," she told him and he glared at her.

"I can't go down there like _this,_" he glanced downwards and she recognized his problem. He certainly couldn't go out in public like that. Although she doubted any of the women would complain. And she glanced at his hair which was now a mess from her running her fingers through it and she bit her lip again. Did he have to look so…fuckable?

"Right," Buffy shook her head. "So um, I'll go down because they will come up if I don't, and you can meet us later," she compromised and he pouted. "I'm sorry Baby," she said truthfully as she stepped forward to kiss him lightly again. But when her lips met his he immediately snaked his arms around her waist and held her tightly to him. Thrusting his tongue into her mouth he desperately hoped to convince her to give him just ten minutes. Well, maybe fifteen. But he could compromise. Ten. He would agree to ten.

But when her phone rang again he groaned against her lips.

"This is so unfair," he muttered and she quickly answered her phone.

"Last warning Buffy," Willow spoke.

"We're coming," she snapped at Willow, annoyed that her friend knew her so well.

"I wish," Angel mumbled under his breath as he felt his cock straining against his pants. Buffy ended the call and blindly set her phone on a nearby end table.

"I'm just as turned on as you Angel," she reminded him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You just can't see it."

"Not helping," he groaned and she forced herself to step back.

"Right. Okay. So I'm going to go now," she rambled as she hurried out the door of their room leaving him alone, hard and aching for her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pulling his t-shirt over his head and throwing it on the bathroom floor, Angel reached for the taps to turn the shower on. He had really wanted to use this shower with Buffy, but at the moment he didn't have much choice. He should probably take a cold shower, but right now he had every intention of getting in there and wrapping his fist around his cock as he imagined her mouth sucking him off.

When he heard the door to the room open and close he smiled to himself thinking Buffy had returned. He turned the shower off. He wanted her in there with him, but right now he was far too impatient for that and he wasn't sure how much time they'd have.

Rushing out of the bathroom he stopped short when he saw the small blond lying on the bed. It certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting.

"What the fuck are you doing here Darla?" he asked, the anger evident in his tone.

"Oh please Lover," she sat up and crawled closer to him. "You practically begged me to come up here. Telling me all about how you and your new little blond were going on a vacation together. The directions were lying right on your counter."

"Get out Darla," he ordered, still frustrated from his make-out session with Buffy and this encounter was only making him tense for an entirely different reason.

"Now why would I do that? Especially after I convinced the people at the front desk that I'm your sweet, doting girlfriend?" she chuckled as she stood up off the bed. Strutting towards him she pulled her own shirt over her head. "And when your little Buffy came downstairs alone I knew you'd set up the perfect opportunity for us."

"Put your clothes on," he rolled his eyes as he walked away from her. He didn't like how his body was responding to hers right now. He hated her, sure, but Buffy had left him really on edge and he had a beautiful woman offering herself to him. He was only a man.

"You don't mean that," she said knowingly. "Buffy's having dinner with her friends. She won't be back for at least an hour. And you know what I can do for you with an hour."

He glared at her, his eyes cold as he suddenly pictured Buffy half naked next to Darla. He shook his head. There was no comparison.

"You're embarrassing yourself, Darla," he smirked wondering why the hell he'd stayed with her as long as he had. They'd been fighting so much the past few months. Buffy had been right, he realized. He'd stayed with Darla out of guilt.

"I don't think I am," she smiled a teasing smile and suddenly she took three steps forward, capturing his lips in a sexy kiss.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy stepped off the elevator, glad she had forgotten her cell phone. It gave her a great excuse to come back upstairs and hopefully get enough time with Angel to finish what they'd started earlier. It had been over a half an hour and her friends were occupied with dinner now. Buffy had started to call Angel wondering if he was still coming down when she realized she didn't have her phone. Explaining to Fred where she was going, she had hurried away from her friends.

She pulled the key out of her pocket and slid it into the lock. Slipping into the room, she froze when she got a perfect view of Angel and Darla half naked and intimately attached at the lips. They were so absorbed in each other it wasn't until the door shut behind Buffy that either of them realized she was there.

"Buffy!" Angel exclaimed as he literally shoved Darla away from him so hard that she tripped on her shirt she'd left on the floor and fell. Oh well, Angel thought feeling no guilt at all. It served her right.

"Angel!" Darla exclaimed and Angel rolled his eyes.

"Shut up Darla," he hissed before turning back to Buffy. "This is really not what it looks like," he rushed to explain as he saw tears welling up in his girlfriend's eyes.

It wasn't until Buffy scoffed and shook her head that he realized exactly how bad it really must look. Darla had kissed him and he'd stupidly kissed her back for all of three seconds before Buffy came in. She had walked in at the worst possible second.

"Was there tongue Angel?" she retorted and when he didn't respond for a moment she had her answer. He came to his senses quickly and rushed to explain, but Buffy wasn't having any of it. "Don't even try to talk to me right now," she cut him off through both tears and anger. She turned and left the room, cell phone forgotten and letting the door slam behind her.

Angel went to follow her when he realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. Fuck. He'd taken it off to shower, not to have sex with Darla! But of course that wasn't what it looked like. And Darla was just half naked because, well because she was a ruthless bitch.

Hurrying over to Darla he picked up her shirt and shoved it into her hands.

"You get the hell out of my life and don't ever let me see you again," he ordered through gritted teeth, his jaw clenched in an anger Darla had never seen before.

"My boy, you don't mean-"

"OUT DARLA!" he yelled as he forcibly pushed her towards the door. He yanked it open and shoved her through it. It clicked shut behind her and with a loud yell Angel slammed his hand against the wood in frustration.

God dammit! This wasn't how this was supposed to happen. Not with Buffy. Not with the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy hurried back towards the restaurant in the hotel where her friends were still eating. She had lost her appetite, but she had nowhere else to go. Obviously she couldn't go back to her room and she didn't have her phone so she would have to face her friends. All she really wanted to was to hide away, cry, and try to figure out how this all happened.

She felt a sob coming and fought to hold it back. Willow caught her eye as soon as she walked into the restaurant and she immediately stood up from the table rushing over to her friend. Cordelia followed, hoping everything with Angel was okay.

"Buffy, what happened?" Willow asked and Buffy wiped her tears hoping to explain.

"Angel. He, he was with Darla and there was kissing, and," she shook her head as Willow's eyes widened in shock.

"No way," Cordelia denied. "He threw her out of his apartment this morning. He-" she stopped talking immediately as she realized that Buffy had had no idea Darla had stopped by. She'd assumed Angel would have told her what with all his talk about honesty, but now she'd just made this all worse for him. "Buffy it's not-"

"Can I just go to your room?" Buffy asked Willow, her voice sounding small and weak.

"Sure," Willow said pulling out her key and handing it to Buffy. "I'll come with you."

"No. I'd rather be alone. And, you can tell everyone what happened. I'd rather you do it than have to do it myself later," Buffy choked out as she walked away, leaving her friend speechless and worried behind her.

It was all starting to make sense to Buffy now. Darla had called Angel last night. He'd ignored the call so she hadn't thought anything of it, but clearly she should have. And then Cordelia said Darla had been at Angel's apartment this morning. No wonder why he'd wanted to go home last night to 'pack.' He had plans with Darla! The thought made her sick. How long had this been going on? Probably since Christmas and she had just been too dumb and in love to see it. And now he'd snuck her up on their ski vacation…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Angel rushed down the stairs, too nervous to wait for the elevator. He hoped she was eating dinner with her friends. He just needed to talk to her and straighten this out. It was all a misunderstanding. Their relationship was strong enough they could work it out. But oh god, he hated that he'd made her cry.

Finally reaching the lobby he hurried to the restaurant, easily finding the large group he was looking for, but not spotting Buffy. He headed towards them anyways unsure of what else to do.

"I don't think you should be here," Willow spoke angrily as she stood up from the table and he knew that Buffy had told her what had happened.

"Willow, please. Where is she?" he asked desperately.

"She doesn't want to see you," she replied icily. "Just go back to your room. You're not welcome here anymore." Feeling the sting of her words more than he should for someone he barely knew, Angel turned and left the restaurant. Maybe he should just wait and give her some time.

Willow sank back down into her chair to find everyone except Cordelia looking at her waiting for an explanation. She hadn't told them yet about Buffy and Angel because she'd been hoping to talk to Buffy again first, but now that Angel had shown up it didn't look like she had a choice.

Deciding to just come out with it, she said, "Buffy caught Angel kissing Darla in their room."

"HE WHAT?" Fred exclaimed so loudly that a few other diners turned to look in her direction. She blushed and lowered her voice before continuing. "But he loves Buffy."

"I don't know the details," Willow shrugged. "I just know what Buffy told me which wasn't much. But I do know I'm not really in the mood for dinner anymore," she sighed and Cordelia stood up.

"Me either. I'm going to go yell at my excessively horny brother," she announced before leaving the table and stalking out of the restaurant. Doyle decided he'd go back to his room and wait for Cordy. If she wasn't back in twenty minutes he'd go and rescue Angel from her wrath. No matter what the poor bastard had done, nobody deserved to be on the receiving end of a lashing from Cordelia Chase.

"I'll go check on Buffy," Willow said silently saying goodbye to Oz as she too left the table.

"I'll kill that guy," Xander spoke but Oz immediately shrugged.

"I'm sure it's a misunderstanding," he said before falling silent once again.

"I don't think Angel would cheat on Buffy," Wes agreed. "After he found out about Cordelia and his father's affair he came to believe very strongly in monogamy."

"Then explain the kissing Darla," Xander shot back and the rest of the table fell silent.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Angel, you open this door right now!" Cordelia yelled from the hallway as she banged loudly on her brother's door. When he finally did, she wasted no time in slapping him hard across the face.

"I take it you heard about Darla," he stated calmly, not raising his head as he stepped aside to let her in.

"You are such an idiot," she seethed. "Just this morning you're telling me you're in love with Buffy and now as soon as she leaves the room you're making out with your ex?"

"It wasn't like that," he denied as he sank wearily into an armchair.

"Then tell me what it was like because so far all the evidence is pointing to you're a fucking asshole," she snapped and he closed his eyes.

"Darla, I don't know, she followed us up here or something. Buffy left for dinner and-"

"Why didn't you come with Buffy?" Cordy asked already finding holes in a story she was sure was fabricated. She loved her brother, but it wouldn't be the first time she'd caught him doing something incredibly stupid. It seemed like every year he went through a self-destructive period, and he was overdue. Darla would be the perfect thing to start his next cycle.

"I couldn't," he hedged in embarrassment before finally deciding that he needed to tell Cordy the whole truth to convince her of his innocence. He was going to need someone in his corner. "Buffy and I got…interrupted," he euphemized and Cordelia looked at him in confusion. "For fucks sake Cordelia I'm not going to spell it out for you!" he exclaimed and suddenly Cordelia's face showed her recognition. And then her disgust at hearing the details of her brother's sex life. "She left and a few minutes later I took off my shirt to get ready for a shower-"

"You showered this morning. Why were you-OH!" she exclaimed as her eyes widened and she took a step back. Angel avoided her eyes suddenly wishing anyone else had come up to have this conversation with him. "Ew," she shuddered and Angel decided it was best to continue the story.

"I heard someone come in the room. I thought it was Buffy," he explained as he remembered how just an hour ago things in his life had been fantastic. "It was Darla. I tried to kick her out, but you know Darla. She tried to seduce me. Took off her shirt, kissed me. I barely kissed her back," he insisted as Cordelia narrowed her eyes at him. "I swear. It was less than five seconds. But Buffy walked in at some point during those five seconds," he sighed and Cordy sat on the couch across from him.

She studied his face and saw how upset he was, his eyes unfocused on anything visible to her, but incredibly focused on something. She sighed. She knew that face. That was the deep brooding face. Only pulled out for seriously bad situations. If Buffy caused the serious brooding face then he was probably telling the truth. She figured she should give him the benefit of the doubt considering there was an entire table of Buffy's friends downstairs willing to side with her without hearing from Angel at all.

"I told Buffy Darla was at your apartment this morning," Cordelia admitted figuring he should know the full weight of the situation. When he glared at her, his eyes wide and filled with even more badly disguised panic than before, she winced. "I'm sorry. I thought you would have told her."

"I didn't tell her because nothing happened," he snapped before both of them fell silent wondering what the best way out of this was.

They were interrupted by another knock on the door and Angel jumped up to answer it hoping beyond all else that it was Buffy there ready to talk. It didn't occur to him that she had a key. He opened the door to find Willow on the other side with what Buffy would call her resolve face.

"I'm here for Buffy's skis and her coat and stuff," she told him trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. She was mad at Angel, but when he'd opened the door she'd been surprised to see how upset he looked. It certainly didn't look like the face of a cheater. But that didn't matter she reminded herself. She was the best friend of the cheatee, not the cheater.

"Why?" Angel asked softly even as he reached for his girlfriend's skis. He remembered teasing her about how small they were compared to his.

"I finally convinced her to go skiing with me to get her mind off…things," Willow explained and Angel quickly collected her skiing gear.

"I can bring it down to her," he offered and Willow's face softened. She was beginning to wonder if this really was a misunderstanding.

"She's really not in the talking mood right now. Anything you say would fall on deaf ears," she told him and watched his face fall. "You'd be better off to let her blow off some steam and try to talk tonight," she said and he attempted a weak smile before she turned and walked away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I hate him," Buffy grumbled as she and Willow tromped through the snow. They'd been out skiing for nearly an hour and they probably only had time for one more run. Everyone else had already headed back, but Buffy really didn't want to be trapped in the hotel with her cheating boyfriend.

"Don't say that Buffy. You love him," Willow protested and Buffy sighed.

"I know. I just don't like him very much right now," she whispered as she felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes. She glanced up and saw the slope they were at was marked with a blue square. It was probably more difficult than Willow wanted to attempt before taking lessons with an instructor tomorrow. Buffy silently sighed and moved to continue walking for a slope marked with a green circle.

"Buffy, why don't you do this one?" Willow offered. "We can meet up later. I'll go redo the one we just did," she suggested and when Buffy smiled gratefully Willow knew she'd made a good decision.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Buffy skied down the hill she felt the wind whipping in her face and she tried to let go of her problems. It had hurt so much to see Angel with Darla. She couldn't get the picture out of her head. It was impossible to shake. She wasn't even a third of the way down the hill when she realized she'd become too distracted and now she was going to pay for it. She was headed right for a tree.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Willow waited for Buffy and even walked to the bottom of the slope where Buffy was supposed to finish. When she didn't find her she sighed and decided to head back to the lodge. They hadn't really agreed where they would meet and it would be just like Buffy to go back by herself and Willow was sure she would find her friend safe and sound.


	24. Chapter 24

**Here's a fairly long update for you guys. I've edited it about 100 times, but I'm finally happy with it. Please give me some feedback and let me know what you think. Thanks again to those of you who have read/reviewed so far. **

PART 24

Angel immediately looked up when he saw Willow come into the lobby after skiing. He waited for Buffy knowing they were the only two still out skiing, but when she didn't enter behind the red head he grew annoyed. Was she really avoiding him that much? Was there a back entrance to this place or something?

"Where's Buffy?" Angel asked and Willow looked up in confusion.

"She's not back?" she replied and suddenly Angel felt his annoyance give way to worry. "She should be back by now. I waited for her, but she never showed up. I thought she came back here," Willow rambled and Angel immediately moved from where he'd been sitting in front of the fireplace to stand right in front of her.

"What happened?" he demanded and Willow stuttered slightly before answering.

"We skied down different slopes. We said we'd meet up after, but she never met me. I thought maybe she figured we meant to meet back here so I came back," she explained and now she too was growing worried. "You're sure she's not here?"

"I've been sitting here for over an hour waiting for her," he said gravely and Willow glanced at the clock.

"The lifts are closed by now," she said worriedly as she realized that the lifts had in fact closed three minutes ago. She herself had barely made it since she'd spent so long waiting for Buffy. "She should be back," Willow stressed, the panic in her voice increasing with each word. "She should be here."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy gasped in pain as she tried to stand up and realized she couldn't put weight on her right leg. She'd managed to avoid a head on collision with the tree, but her lower body had crumpled against it. She guessed that she had a sprained ankle and even without looking she knew her knee was swollen. It was an old injury from cheerleading years ago and she wasn't surprised she'd aggravated it again. She might be able to stand, but there was no way she could walk up or down the rest of the hill.

Sitting there for what had to be nearly ten minutes Buffy realized that it was likely that nobody would see her. It had been so cold out and so close to the lift closing time that her and Willow had been two of only a few skiers left out. It was highly doubtful that anyone would be skiing down this slope and find her. And if she was honest with herself, her and Willow had also ignored the last warning and skied later than they were really supposed to.

Realizing that she couldn't just sit and wait for help to come she looked around. The wind was really picking up and if she didn't move soon she'd be in serious trouble. She knew Willow would come looking for her soon so she doubted she'd be out here long. But even so, it was freezing cold and she couldn't just stay sitting here by the tree in the wind with snow blowing up in her face.

Looking around she spotted something that looked like a cave. A perfect cave actually. Well, a perfect snowy cave anyways. But if she could get there she'd be safe from the wind if nothing else. It wasn't too far away. Maybe 100 feet.

She tried to stand, but she didn't think she could. She was stiff from the cold and there was no way she'd be able to walk even if she could stand. Instead she crawled, ignoring the pain in her knee, and leaving her skis behind as she inched towards the cave.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Does she have any survival skills?" the man behind the desk asked as Angel and Willow quickly explained that Buffy was missing.

"Why the hell would she need survival skills?" Angel demanded to know as Willow quietly replied no. "Aren't you going out to find her?"

"There's a bad storm coming in tonight," the man told them sympathetically. "We'll look as long as we can, but I can't risk losing any of my men to-"

"But you can risk losing MY girl?" Angel snarled as he felt rage boiling to the surface.

"We'll get the search team together," the man replied ignoring Angel's comment as he left them. Willow told Angel she was going to fill in the others and Angel sank back onto the couch near the fire. He stared into the flames, ignoring everything else around him.

There was going to be a storm tonight. And Buffy was out there all alone. The reality of it made him feel physically sick. He always worried about her, but out there in the elements…she couldn't survive a night in the snow and wind. Nobody could.

He cursed himself. He should have been with her. He didn't even know what happened, but somehow he would have helped her. At least she wouldn't be alone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy curled into the fetal position as well as she could with her injured leg and tried to control her shivering. It was freezing. She had no idea how long she'd been out here. Her and Willow had already been complaining about how cold they were, and now Buffy couldn't handle it anymore. She could feel parts of her body starting to get numb and she was terrified of what was going to happen to her. Was she going to be left here all night? Would anyone find her?

It was storming now and snowing heavily. She was glad she'd found the cave to hide out in even if her clothes were cold and wet. She'd already taken off her gloves because they'd been soaked from crawling through the snow. They had been doing more harm than good so she kept her hands buried in her sleeves and stuffed in her pockets.

She felt drowsy and she knew the cold was getting to her. She tried to fight the sleep knowing the worst possible thing would be to doze off. She had to stay awake. Think about something, she ordered herself. Think about anything. Think about…Angel. Instead of the horrible images of him with Darla she found herself wishing she was in his arms as he held her, telling her he would always love her. It was foolish, especially now when it was all falling apart, but she couldn't help but wish it was true.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Angel paced through the lobby, unable to sit still. They'd been searching for over half an hour and there was no word yet. The weather indicated the storm was moving fast and it wouldn't be long before they had to call the search team back. God, if they didn't find her…

He felt like his entire body was humming with anxiousness. He should be out there searching, but the hotel had some fucking policy on not letting guests go out after the lifts closed. She was his girlfriend for Christ's sake. He couldn't just leave her out there to freeze. And he didn't trust the people looking for her. They acted like she was just another skier.

Fred had looked up frostbite and hypothermia and it only served to make Angel more terrified. She'd been out there too long. She was probably safe from frostbite since she'd been dressed properly, but she hadn't been prepared to spend a fucking night in the snow. She was going to freeze.

And it was his fault. He knew it was his fault. He should have thrown Darla out of the room immediately and he definitely shouldn't have kissed her even if it was just for a second. In that second he'd broken Buffy's heart and caused her to go off on her own on a snowy mountain.

If he'd just had a minute to talk to her he could have explained. He could have explained how he never even entertained the notion of sleeping with Darla. He'd been angry and surprised when she'd kissed him and because of that he hadn't pushed her away quickly enough. But regardless of how he felt about Darla or anyone else, he would never cheat on Buffy. In his mind cheating was the ultimate form of betrayal, and he would never do anything of the kind to someone he cared about, let alone someone he loved the way he loved Buffy. And now he may never get to tell her.

"What's the matter Angel?" he heard behind him and he had to clench his fists to keep from lashing out at the person behind him.

"You know what's the matter, Darla," he spat out as he turned to face her. The news about Buffy had spread like wildfire through the lodge and he just knew Darla was coming down here to rub his face in it.

"Maybe she ran off with another man," Darla smirked only confirming Angel's suspicions. How the hell had he put up with her for so long? She wasn't even a good person.

"She's in trouble, Darla. And it's your fault," he accused taking a small step back so she wasn't in striking distance anymore. It was far too tempting. "You could at least act concerned. You know, for appearances sake."

"Angel, I've done you a favor. You know you were better off with me," she spoke in a sultry voice and it was clear that winning him back was now more of a game to her than something she actually wanted.

"You wanted my money and my body Darla. You never gave a damn about me," he shot back and she raised an eyebrow but didn't bother to deny it.

"How do you know this one doesn't want your money?" she countered but he merely smirked.

"Not everyone is like you Darla," he replied simply. "In fact, most people aren't. Thank god or we really would have hell on earth, wouldn't we?"

"Don't flatter me Darling," she grinned and he grew even more annoyed with her casual dismissal of what was going on with Buffy. She may not like her, but she should still care that a person's life was in danger.

"Listen to me Darla. If I lose Buffy because of something you did, I'll make you pay for it," he promised in a low even tone. "This is happening because of you."

"I wasn't alone in that kiss, Lover," she reminded him and he finally snapped. His hand wrapped around her throat and he shoved her hard against the wall.

"You may as well have been," he retorted as he squeezed his hand making it hard for her to breathe. "And if I ever see you near me, Buffy, or any of our friends again, I'll call the cops," he gritted out, his jaw twitching in anger. "Now get away from me," he ordered as he released her.

"Fine," she breathed out shaking off the effects of his grip. "I'll go back to my room, but-"

"No. You'll go back home tonight and stay the hell away from us," he demanded before turning and walking away before he did something he'd really regret. He'd already gone too far by getting physical with her. She had always had a knack for pushing his buttons, but today he hadn't held back. He'd never even come close to laying a hand on her or any woman before, and the fact that he had just now left them both shaken.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"They've called off the search until morning," Willow informed the group as she tried to control her own tears. "They said they went through protocol and started at the lifts and continued along the trails, but didn't find her before the storm got too bad."

"They didn't start the search where she disappeared?" Xander exclaimed in annoyance and fear and Willow shrugged.

"They were following protocol," she repeated what they had told her when she'd asked the same question.

"Fuck protocol," Angel grumbled as he pushed his way past Willow towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Cordelia asked even though she had a suspicion that she already knew the answer.

"To find her," he replied never breaking his stride towards the door.

"I'm coming with you," Xander announced standing up to follow Angel.

"No," Angel shook his head as he pulled on his coat.

"She's my best friend. I can't just sit here," Xander protested and Angel looked up at him seriously.

"You can't come with me," he said evenly as the rest of the group came over to them as well. "If I don't find her and I don't make it back…" he trailed off as he noticed the somber expressions of the group. "Then you have to go find her."

"How will we know when we should consider you not back?" Willow wondered and Angel zipped his coat as he glanced out the window.

"I'll bring my phone but I don't know what kind of service I'll get out there," he told them. "If I'm not back in an hour and a half, go look for her."

"Okay," Xander agreed understanding that Angel probably did have a better chance of finding Buffy than anyone else. He didn't understand how, but the man was freakishly observant, especially when it came to Buffy.

"What about you Angel?" Fred asked and Angel sighed before turning to the two people he knew he could trust with not only his life, but Buffy's as well.

"Wes, Doyle, I need you to promise me you'll make sure Buffy's safe first. Before me, before anything," Angel said seriously and although Doyle nodded, Wesley found himself hesitating. How could he agree to just ignore one of his oldest friends, someone he considered a brother, if he knew that person was in grave danger? But then he briefly imagined if Fred was the one missing and he knew he would lay down his life to find her and he understood that was what Angel was willing to do for Buffy.

"I promise," Wes nodded and Angel gave him a grateful look.

"Angel you shouldn't go alone," Fred told him and he offered her a comforting smile.

"I'll be okay, Fred," he assured her although they all knew it was an empty promise. He felt he was better off searching on his own than he would be if he had to worry about someone else too. He was already far too distracted as it was. If he added to that, he could make a mistake that he couldn't afford to make.

On the way to the door he finished pulling on his gloves, hat, and boots before the hotel staff reached him to stop him.

"Sir, we can't let you go out in this storm," they informed him and he glared at them.

"You won't stop me," he replied as he continued towards the exit.

"I understand you're upset Sir," one of the female staff members tried to console him but he shook his head. "But we cannot let our guests out at this time. Especially-"

"Then I want to check out," he retorted as he buttoned his coat even though it was already zipped.

"What?" the woman asked and he rolled his eyes.

"I just checked out. O'Connor. Room 615. Now I'm not a guest," he informed them as he pulled the door open.

"But all your stuff is still in the room!" the woman reminded him as a last ditch effort to get him to stay.

"Sell it!" he called out as the door slammed shut behind him. He stepped outside and briefly felt overwhelmed by where to start. With such a large amount of space to cover, how was he ever going to find her in time? But he had to, he reminded himself. Her life depended on it. Hell, _his_ life depended on it because without her his life wasn't worth much.

"Hey!" a man yelled as he jogged through the snow over to Angel.

"Don't try to stop me," Angel snarled as he saw the telltale hotel logo on his coat.

"No man," the staff member shook his head. "We've gotta find your girl. She can't stay out there," he gestured towards the mountains. "I'm Gunn, part of the search team. Come with me. I've got something that can help."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy jerked awake and she wondered how long she'd been asleep. She knew she had to stay awake, but she was so tired. A short little nap couldn't hurt that much, right? And she'd been tired even before she left to ski so-No, she knew that her body would start to shut down if she slept.

Maybe she should move around a little bit to get the blood flowing. It might warm her up. But she couldn't stand up. Well maybe on one foot, but standing on one foot in the icy snow probably wasn't advisable. If she did that she'd end up with two sprained ankles. That is if anyone found her before she froze to death.

At the thought she felt tears sting her eyes but she forced them away. She had to stay strong. Willow would have people looking for her. Someone would find her. Or at least her skis, she remembered that she'd left them on the slope and she was relieved she'd left a bit of a trail. Glancing towards the entrance to the cave she saw snow swirling around and she wondered if anyone could even walk in a storm like this.

Oh god, she really was going to die out here alone.

And with that thought in mind, all she could think was she wished she could see Angel one more time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is where her friend said she was skiing last?" Gunn asked and Angel nodded as Gunn drove the snowmobile up the mountain. "We'll drive about halfway up then spread out to look," he told Angel who nodded, grateful for the man's help.

They both stayed silent as they kept their eyes open for any sign of her at the bottom half of the mountain. Neither of them saw anything, and Angel felt fear gripping at his chest. What if he couldn't find her? What if he did find her and- NO! She was going to be fine. He was forced from his thoughts when Gunn stopped the snowmobile and maneuvered it in front of a tree so it wouldn't slide down the hill.

"I'm sure she's fine," Gunn assured Angel as they got off the snowmobile. "The top half of this mountain tends to be harder than the bottom so if something went wrong, it was probably up there," he pointed and Angel nodded. "Does she know how to ski?"

"Yeah," Angel replied knowing Buffy had been skiing a few times with her family and friends in the past. "But she was really…distracted," he finished and Gunn merely nodded.

Angel gestured that he was going to take the right side of the mountain while Gunn would take the left. They went their separate ways and Angel prayed that he would find her. The storm was terrible. They'd hardly been able to see while driving up here. And he could feel the snow pelting against his face. It was relentless and the wind whipped through his entire body making it feel about twenty degrees colder than it really was. He could only imagine how cold Buffy must be.

He had no idea how long he'd been searching when he found a tree with a pile of snow that looked different from the rest of the snow around it. He bent down and moved the snow half hoping he'd find Buffy and half hoping that she wasn't buried under a foot of snow. As he brushed the snow away he found her skis, but no sign of her. Was that good?

"Gunn!" Angel yelled and the man hurried over to him. "These are her skis."

"Looks like she ran into the tree," Gunn stated gravely. "If she'd gotten hurt she might try to seek shelter," he mused as Angel looked around. He was panicking but knew he had to stay in control. He was so close he could feel it.

After what seemed like hours he spotted a cave not too far from where the skis were. That had to be where she'd go. Spotting it at the same time, Gunn rushed off back down the mountain.

"Go get her. I'll bring the snowmobile up," he yelled over his shoulder. Angel was already running as well as he could through the snow. She just had to be there. If she wasn't then…no she would be there, he assured himself.

When he got to the entrance of the cave he peered in and felt a simultaneous flood of relief and terror run through him. She was there, but it didn't look good. She was barely conscious.

"Buffy," he breathed out as he rushed to her side. He wrapped his arms around her and she moaned lightly at the movement. "Buffy, Baby wake up," he pleaded as he shook her gently. "Come on," he whispered, his heart in his throat.

"Angel?" she asked softly. "I-it's c-c-cold," she whispered through chattering teeth and he crushed her to his chest.

"It's okay Baby. I'm here now. I got you," he promised and as he hugged her he realized her coat was wet from the snow. Quickly pulling it off her he threw it on the ground. He yanked his off his own body and immediately wrapped it around her, ripping his gloves off so he could zip it up to her chin. He also doubted he could carry her in those big bulky gloves so he left them next to her coat. He briefly considered checking to see if more of her clothes were wet, but he was afraid to take the time.

"Are you hurt?" he asked and when she nodded slightly he decided not to ask for more information right now. He just needed to get her back to the hotel and warm. The rest could be handled later.

"Come on," he whispered soothingly as he picked her up in his arms. "It's all gonna be okay," he breathed before pressing a kiss to her cheek. He walked quickly out of the cave, trying to shield her face with his body as much as he could.

She was only vaguely aware of what was happening, but she knew Angel was holding her. She buried her face against his chest, suddenly not caring if he was having an affair with Darla or not. For the moment she chose to forget about it and accept the comfort she needed and could only get from his arms.

"She okay?" Gunn asked and Angel looked up to see Gunn with the snowmobile already running only a few feet away.

"I don't know," Angel admitted as he felt Buffy shivering in his arms. "We have to hurry. She hates being cold," he said quietly as he sat on the snowmobile with Buffy cuddled safely in his lap.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Gunn leapt off the snowmobile and held the door of the lodge open as Angel rushed inside with a now still Buffy in his arms. The shivering had stopped, but he knew that wasn't good. Her body was shutting down.

"Sir, you found her?" the woman from before asked but he ignored her and caught Willow's eye as she hurried over to him.

"Is she okay?" Willow asked following Angel without question as he tracked snow all the way to the elevators.

"No," he said quietly and Willow didn't ask him to elaborate. It was clear what was wrong.

"She should go to a hospital," Xander spoke up as he too rushed to his best friend's side. Buffy let out a quiet whimper at the suggestion and Angel glared at Xander.

"She hates hospitals," Angel snapped as the elevator doors opened and they all stepped on. Willow punched the button for floor 16 and impatiently pressed the door close button.

"I know, but-"

"We wouldn't get her there in this storm anyways," Willow said gently and Xander nodded agreeing with both Willow and Angel. They would have to help Buffy themselves.

"The room key's in my pocket," Angel told Willow who immediately took it out. "We have to get her warm. "When we get in there, Xander you turn up the heat then go get Cordy. She always packs fleece pajamas. Tell her we need them," Angel ordered as they stepped off the elevator and hurried towards Angel and Buffy's room. Luckily the hotel hadn't taken him seriously when he said he was checking out.

Willow quickly opened the door and they all stepped inside, Xander rushing for the thermostat before leaving the room to find Cordelia. Without being asked, Willow pulled back the covers on the bed as Angel began peeling all the wet clothes off Buffy's body even though at some point up to the room she'd fallen into unconsciousness.

"Look for her electric blanket," Angel told Willow, his voice hoarse as he fought back tears. "She bought it for the trip because she hates to be cold," he murmured and Willow felt her heart go out to him. He was terrified for Buffy, maybe even more so than she and Xander were.

"I found it," she spoke up a few minutes later as she pulled it from Buffy's suitcase. She plugged it into the wall and spread it out on the bed. Angel laid Buffy, who was now completely naked, all her clothes having been soaked by snow, on top of it. He pulled the covers of the bed up and over her body when they heard a pounding on the door.

Willow went to answer it, relieved when she saw Xander and Cordelia holding a pair of fleece pajamas. She grabbed the pajamas and tossed them to Angel who dressed Buffy under the covers, afraid to expose her to the cool air again.

"How is she?" Cordelia asked as she watched her brother's grim face as he sat at his girlfriend's bedside.

"We think she's hypothermic," Willow explained trying to keep her voice quiet as if Angel hearing her would make things worse.

"What, what does that mean?" Cordelia asked softly as she saw Angel get up, grab one of his sweatshirts and put it on Buffy, putting the hood on as well.

"It means her body temperature is too low and we have to get it back up," Willow spoke gently and Cordy nodded.

"Is that all that's wrong?" Xander questioned grimly and Willow opened her mouth to answer before realizing she didn't actually know.

"Her ankle and knee are both bruised and swollen," Angel spoke up having quickly examined her when he'd undressed her.

"Right," Willow nodded. "But once we get her body temperature back up we can deal with those."

Cordelia looked at her brother and found him sitting in a chair next to the bed, his knee bouncing up and down so quickly she thought he might wear a hole in the floor. He was wound so tightly and she knew he wouldn't relax until Buffy was awake and safe in his arms. But at the very least he could let go of some of the control he tried so desperately to maintain when he felt like he had to take charge of everything.

"Why don't we leave Angel with Buffy," Cordelia suggested and when he shot her a grateful look she thought she saw unshed tears in his eyes, but he turned away quickly. She led Willow and Xander out of the room leaving him alone with Buffy.

"Come on Baby, I need you to wake up," he whispered as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He brushed some hair back and watched his own hand tremble. All he could do was pray that she was okay. He didn't know what he would do if he lost her. He'd only just found her…

"Please," he begged, his voice so soft he didn't think she'd hear it even if she'd been wide awake.

"Angel?" she murmured shifting slightly and his eyes darted up to her face as he crawled onto the bed until he was next to her.

"Buffy? Buffy wake up," he urged gently as her eyes fluttered open.

"I'm so tired," she mumbled, already drifting off to sleep again.

"No," he reached out to cup either side of her face in his palms. "You can't sleep. I need you to stay awake, Baby," he pleaded as he finally gave up and slid under the covers with her. He needed to hold her.

"Angel," she whimpered as his arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly hoping some of his warmth would seep into her. "Don't," she protested and he loosened his grip in fear. Was she hurt somewhere else that he hadn't seen? Her ribs maybe? He had no idea what had happened to her out there and could only guess. He just hoped that what really happened was not as bad as the hundreds of scenarios he'd come up with.

"Are you hurt?" he choked out trying to look at her face for any sign of pain but finding none.

"We're fighting," she reminded him and even though he hated that they were in fact fighting, he was relieved she was aware enough to remember that.

"It doesn't matter," he breathed a sigh of relief as he hugged her closer to him.

"Yes it does. I found you making out with your ex-girlfriend!" she exclaimed and he was surprised when she pushed him away weakly.

"It didn't mean anything," he whispered as he tried to pull her back to him. Now wasn't the time to fight. Right now she needed to warm up and then they could talk later.

"Don't just act like it didn't happen," she shot back and he realized that fighting with him might be the only thing keeping her awake. He didn't want to fight with her, but at the moment keeping her awake was more important than their relationship.

"It may as well not have," he shrugged knowing his dismissal would upset her even more. He hated doing this, but he needed her awake. If she fought with him, then she'd stay awake.

"But it did," she glared at him and he sighed. Maybe they could kill two birds with one stone.

"It shouldn't have," he told her and when she only waited for him to elaborate he took a deep breath and continued. "She let herself into the room."

"You mean you didn't invite her while she was at your apartment this morning?" she quipped and he closed his eyes briefly. God, it really did look bad for him, didn't it?

"Buffy she just showed up, I swear. At my apartment and here. She followed us or something, I don't know," he insisted feeling all his resolve to instigate a fight just wither away. He didn't want to fight with her. He wanted to kiss her and hold her as she got better.

"So now you're saying she's stalking you," she said skeptically and he sighed and hugged Buffy to his chest, ignoring her weak resistance.

"I had been getting ready to shower. That's why my shirt was off," he explained as he ran his hands along her back. "I tried to kick her out, but _she_ kissed _me_ and you walked in at the worst possible time," he whispered leaning down to kiss her forehead again. "The kiss lasted for three seconds. No more, I swear to you. I don't want her. She's just trying to cause trouble," he insisted and she looked up at him. "I hate myself for hurting you. I never wanted to do that," he told her, his voice shaky with emotion.

"Why should I believe you?" she questioned and Angel swallowed thickly. Why should she, he wondered. In the grand scheme of things they hardly knew each other. He'd told her he had a history of acting out, lying, and doing questionable things. And what had he ever done to show her he was fully committed to this? Clear out a freaking drawer in his apartment. That hardly counted, all things considered.

Taking a deep shaky breath he brought his fingers to her chin, raising her face to look into her eyes. Licking his lips nervously he silently begged for her to believe him.

"Because I love you," he spoke honestly. "I love you and I would never do anything to hurt you," he promised but he saw a few tears slip down her cheeks. He felt panic taking over his body and his heart was racing. He was apologizing, baring his soul, and she was crying? Oh god, please let her just be feeling overly emotional, he silently prayed.

Wiping away her tears he rested his forehead against hers. "I can't imagine…god if I saw you kissing Riley or Spike or anyone for that matter…" he trailed off as he shook his head. "I…it would kill me," he admitted and he ached to kiss her. Just taste her lips and soothe all her pain that he'd caused. "Baby, please don't cry," he nearly whimpered as he felt as if every one of her tears cut him a little deeper.

He kissed her tears away, small kisses meant to comfort her. But as he kissed her cheeks and her chin, he just couldn't hold back anymore. He pressed his mouth to hers, hesitating slightly when she didn't respond immediately. But just as he was about to pull away, her lips began to move against his. He moaned lightly, tangling his fingers in her hair.

He pulled back, relieved when he didn't see any more tears in her eyes. Their gazes locked, he could still see uncertainty in her eyes that he knew he had put there.

"I will do anything to make this up to you Baby," he pledged and he felt her tiny hands on his back under the covers.

"If you really don't think you did anything wrong, then you shouldn't feel the need to make anything up to me," she pointed out wondering if he was trying to assuage his guilt over something he hadn't told her about.

"I hurt you. Unintentionally or not, I hurt you," he said quietly as he pulled her closer to his chest to hug her tighter. "And I made you cry," he choked out. "So…anything you want. It's yours," he insisted as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Absolutely anything."

"Angel?" she asked and he looked down at her ready to bring down the moon and the sun if that was what she wanted. "Can I get some hot chocolate?" she wondered and he grinned before reaching for the hotel phone, dialing the front desk and demanding hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. She smiled when he told the person on the other end of the phone that he didn't give a damn if room service ended at 10pm, and to get some hot chocolate to the room now.


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys, sorry it took so long to update this, but it's a pretty long chapter. I was going to post it last night, but I literally fell asleep in the middle of doing it! Anyways, I hope you guys like it. **

**As for how long this story is going to go on, I'm thinking until around her birthday. After that she'd have to go back to college and this story has to end sometime! It was supposed to be a short holiday piece, and here we are 100,000 words later! However I was thinking of writing follow up pieces like the Valentine's vacation, hockey game, etc. Maybe glimpses into their future. Perhaps a future Christmas or another holiday. I don't know when these would happen. It could be years from now or I could write them come holiday time. I don't know, but I do think they would be fairly short. Although I said that about this one! I got such an overwhelming response for this story, something I thought would just be a few chapters, I never know what to expect anymore.  
**

**As always, a HUGE thank you to those of you who read and review. It helps so much to motivate me to continue writing. And I have so many ideas for this story and new stories, I can hardly believe I'm the same person who started with such few ideas for a quick little holiday story! Again, THANK YOU!  
**

PART 25

Buffy woke up many hours later, sweating and feeling overheated so she peeled off Angel's sweatshirt she was wearing and pushed the blankets off the two of them. She could only imagine how hot Angel must be. She glanced over at his sleeping form and smiled as she remembered how nervous he had been about her going to sleep. He'd called Willow and Fred and asked them to check for information on hypothermia and when it was okay for the patient to sleep. Then he'd hung up on Fred and called a hospital demanding to speak to a medical professional. And it wasn't until two hours after he'd gotten the okay that he let her sleep.

Although he'd vowed to stay awake and watch her in case anything happened. She smirked as he nuzzled the pillow in his sleep. Some caretaker he turned out to be.

But then she realized how exhausted he must be. It was after dawn and knowing him he had tried to stay up until she woke up, but hadn't been able to. And the poor guy had had a pretty stressful night before that.

Chewing on her lip she looked around the room. Everything was pulled out of both of their suitcases as if someone had been desperately looking for something. She figured that was where the sweatshirt and electric blanket must have come from. Angel's winter coat was in a pile on the floor and she vaguely remembered him wrapping it around her the second he'd found her in that cave. Oh god, he must have been freezing! She only now realized that if she was wearing his coat he wouldn't have had one to wear. But of course Angel would do that, she smiled slightly.

She didn't know what the policy was for missing persons at the resort, but she had a suspicion that allowing the boyfriend to search for them wasn't standard procedure. She wondered how that had all happened. Angel would never tell her. He'd act like he'd just been out for a stroll and stumbled across her. For such a big, tough guy, he really hated when he was made out to be the hero. She'd have to ask Willow later what had happened.

Even though she'd taken off the sweatshirt and gotten out from under the blankets, she was still too hot. She had no idea whose pajamas these were, but they needed to come off. She stood up and began to walk to her suitcase for more suitable pajamas, but cringed as she put weight on her ankle. Immediately crawling back on the bed she cursed herself for forgetting she'd ran into a freaking tree!

Her knee was mostly just bruised, but her ankle was another story. It was swollen and definitely sprained. But either way, it was too hot in these pajamas. Her clothes that had obviously been stripped off her earlier were in a pile near Angel's coat and Buffy pouted. They were too far away to reach too.

Oh well, she sighed as she simply pulled the fleece shirt over her head. Flinging it to the floor she reached for the pants and carefully slid them over her ankle. Pulling up only the sheet instead of the three blankets-what kind of hotel had three blankets on a bed?-she curled back up next to Angel.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Some movement caused Angel to stir, and when Buffy tensed slightly in his arms he was immediately alert. Rolling until he was hovering over her, he looked down at her questioningly before realizing only a sheet was covering them. And in that same second he realized his arm was touching bare skin.

"Are you _naked_?" he hissed sounding scandalized as his eyes widened.

"I got hot," she explained with a smile and he dropped his head, shaking it lightly.

"And you couldn't just change clothes?" he teased but he frowned when all the playfulness left her face.

"No," she answered and he brushed some hair off her face.

"What's wrong?" he questioned and she sighed.

"My ankle," she revealed and he took in a sharp breath at the reminder of what had actually happened. He loved having her naked in his bed, but not for these reasons. "I couldn't walk to my suitcase."

"I'm so sorry, Baby. I should have thought of that," he scolded himself but she ran a hand down the side of his face in comfort.

"It's fine Angel. You thought of everything else," she pointed out. "You even saved me," she smirked but he didn't allow her to lighten the mood. Instead he crushed her to his chest and held her there as if he thought she might disappear.

"Barely," he whispered and she could see his throat working to hold back the emotions he was feeling.

"Angel, you found me in plenty of time. I'm fine," she assured him but he pulled back to look at her and his eyes were dark and searing.

"You could have died, Buffy!" he exclaimed angrily vocalizing something he'd barely dared to think about. "Do you realize what could have happened to you out there?" he asked, his voice cracking half way through his question. "And what it would have done to me?"

"Angel," she whispered as she saw him finally losing the careful control he kept over his emotions. "I'm fine," she repeated. "I have a sprained ankle. It'll be better in a few days."

"Christ Buffy, you act like you just fucking tripped!" he yelled as he sat up in bed, no longer able to sit still. "You skied into a goddamn tree! You could have hit your head or broken your damn neck. Then how would you have gotten to that cave, huh? You'd have been buried out there under the snow and we sure as hell wouldn't be having this conversation now," he choked out feeling his throat constrict at the thought.

"Angel," she began, but she stopped when he shook his head silently begging her to be quiet. He'd been terrified for over twelve hours now and it was finally all catching up with him. He'd realized that the 'honeymoon phase' of their relationship was over. They'd had their first fight and it had damn near gotten her killed. The two of them never did anything halfway, did they? He may have laughed at the thought if he hadn't been so damn afraid.

"I'm never taking you anywhere cold again," he announced and she sat up next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Angel, I could die at any time. I could get hit by a bus or get into a car accident or-"

"Shut up," he snapped and Buffy might have been offended by the harsh words if he hadn't looked like he was about to burst into tears. "Just…don't talk like that," he begged as he ran a hand over his face. "Don't even think like that."

"It's just the way of the world Angel," she said gently but he turned to her and wrapped an arm around her waist as he buried his face in her neck.

"Not our world, Buffy," he denied. "I can't lose you. I won't," he insisted and she cradled his head against her breast and ran her fingers though his hair. "I know I spent most of my life without you, but now that I've met you I can't imagine going a day without you."

"Oh Angel," she whispered feeling tears pooling in her own eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too Buffy. So damn much it hurts," he spoke as he raised his head to look into her eyes. "So much," he repeated as he captured her lips with his. She whimpered into the kiss as her hand clung to the back of his neck.

"Angel," she moaned as she fisted his t-shirt in her hands and pulled him down on top of her body. He held himself up off her but kissed her hard. He was shaken from the hysteria he'd been feeling for nearly a day now and he needed to feel that she was here with him. His tongue explored the depths of her mouth while he rested his weight on his elbows and knees. He brought his hands up to the sides of her face and rested his forehead against hers.

"I need you," he told her and she didn't answer but she reached down and began to pull his shirt over his head. He helped her remove it and threw it on the floor before coming back down to her. "Just tell me if I hurt you."

"You won't hurt me," she shook her head but he could feel how tense he was, how so fucking desperate he was for her, and he worried. He didn't know if he'd be as attuned to her as he normally was and he didn't want to cause her any more pain than he already had.

"Buffy," he spoke hoarsely as he closed his eyes to try and regain control. "Right now I want nothing more than to bury myself so deep inside you that I forget that I could have lost you last night," he rasped out and when his eyes opened she could see the fire there. "And you're a lot smaller than me. Sometimes I worry…" he trailed off and for the first time Buffy realized why he always seemed like he was holding back just a little bit. "And you're already injured. I just don't want…" he trailed off unable to even finish the sentence at her look of understanding.

"You'd never hurt me," she assured him. When he opened his mouth to interrupt she smiled lightly. "And I would tell you if you were," she promised and she saw him let out a deep breath. "Now stop worrying," she told him as she ran her hands down his back. "Because right now I want the same thing you do. I want to feel you deep inside me. As deep as you can get," she breathed and his erection throbbing at her words and the feel of her pulling him closer. He felt like every nerve ending on his body was reaching out for her, and no matter what he did it wasn't enough. He wanted to touch every inch of skin he could find, worship her body, and make her forget everything that had happened the night before. Now it was just the two of them and nothing else mattered. Nothing else ever mattered.

When she guided his lips up to hers it was a slower kiss, but the fire built slow causing them both to let out a low moan. As she felt his hands ghosting over her sides she dug her fingernails into his shoulders, both begging for him to move faster and hoping this would last forever.

He finally broke the kiss to breathe, but found he still couldn't catch his breath. So he gave up trying and pressed his mouth to her neck, enjoying the surprised gasp that escaped her lips. He kissed and nibbled his way slowly across her neck before going back up to her lips.

"Angel," she sighed into the kiss as her hands ran over his muscled back. There was always intensity between the two of them, but right now she felt like with every kiss he was touching her heart…her soul. Suddenly feeling incredibly selfish, she moved to roll them over, but he stopped her, holding her down gently.

"Please Buffy," he asked so softly she barely heard him. "Just let me do this for you," he begged. "And me."

She felt like her heart was in her throat and she couldn't verbally reply. Instead she nodded, looping her arms around his neck. Within seconds his mouth was back on hers but his hands were running slowly down her sides. She couldn't help but tremble under his touch and he pulled his mouth back to look into her eyes. They shared a heated gaze, communicating more than words ever could.

As his hands slid up to lightly cup her breasts she let out a soft gasp at the barely there touch. Her nipples tightened in response and when he took them both between his fingers she couldn't help but cry out in pleasure. He softened his touch and began to trace light circles around the taut peaks. Her mouth fell open but she was too lost to say anything. Instead her body arched into his touch, her breasts aching with the need for even more attention from him.

"Angel please," she breathed and he stared at her, taking in the slight flush of her skin and the want so obvious in her eyes.

"What do you want, Baby?" he asked as he bent down to pepper tiny kisses along her chest. "You know I'd do anything."

"I-I don't know," she stammered as his palms squeezed her breasts. "Just…more," she finally managed and he couldn't wait another second before tasting her. He lowered his mouth and swirled his tongue around her left nipple before sucking it hard. His hand massaged her right breast and she moaned out loud. Pressing a muscled thigh up against her center, he felt her working her hips against him trying to get the friction she needed.

Switching to her other breast he had to hold back a groan as she held his head against her chest. He laved his tongue over her nipple, loving the way she gasped under him. He somehow felt like if he could just keep touching her, he wouldn't lose her.

"Can I make you come like this?" he asked, removing his mouth to look up at her. She started to answer, but he blew across her nipples, still wet from his mouth, and she shuddered. Banding an arm around her back, he pulled her chest back up to his lips and ground her even harder against his thigh. "Can I?" he husked and she gasped.

"Maybe," she answered unsure of the answer herself. Normally it wouldn't be nearly enough stimulation but right now it felt so good and she was getting close.

"How about like this?" he asks sliding a hand down her stomach until his middle finger was in her belly button. She gasped out loud at the intense sensations it sent shooting through her body. She'd known she was sensitive there, but she'd had no idea... "How 'bout it Buffy?" he asked again as her hips undulated against his thigh. "Can I make you come like this?"

"Yes," she moaned and with a hungry growl his lips were back on her breasts. He wanted to feel her coming apart for him. He knew she was close because her fingernails were digging into his shoulders so hard it hurt, but he loved it. "Angel," she cried, her hands running from his head to his back unsure of where she wanted to touch him the most.

"Come on Baby," he urged and she felt the slow burn that had been building inside her quickly starting to rise.

"Just don't stop," she whimpered and her eyes fell shut as he did exactly as she asked. Hearing the soft moans coming from her mouth was turning him on like crazy. He couldn't help but thrust his hardness into her thigh, but in doing so he increased the pressure between her legs. Her stomach muscles tightened under his hand and he thrust his hips again. "Oh god yes," she gasped as her body was taken over by waves of pleasure. The second her release hit her he pressed his thumb against her clit sending her flying even higher.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered as her body relaxed below him. He brought his hand up to the back of her head and her glassy eyes met his. "So beautiful," he murmured before leaning down to capture her lips again. Her fingers trailed down his back lightly, and with her good leg she hooked her ankle around his calf.

"Angel," she muttered against his lips as she was frustrated by the fact that he was still wearing the sweatpants he'd changed into. "Take these off," she ordered finding it too difficult to make her body slide them down his hips. In seconds he'd thrown his pants to the floor and was back on top of her. Their eyes met again and he felt his heart pounding in his chest.

Her eyes were begging him, urging him into action so he ran his hand down between her legs. He slicked two fingers inside her heat and watched as her face twisted in ecstasy. His fingers moved slowly, loving the way her body responded to him. Finally she grabbed his head and forced his lips to hers. Her tongue met his immediately and she kissed him with a hunger and passion he thought he'd only dreamed about. She moaned into his mouth, before forcing herself to pull away.

"Angel, stop," she begged. "I want you inside me." Oh god yes, he wanted that too. He held back a groan as he removed his fingers. Staring at her intently he palmed her thigh and pulled it over his hip.

"I love you," he whispered before plunging deep into her. They let out twin moans when they were finally joined and he buried his face in the crook of her neck. He slowly began to rock back and forth, kissing his way around her chest as he did so. She was breathing heavily, and Buffy's hips rose to meet his in time with every thrust.

Her hands held onto his shoulders tightly as if she was afraid to let go and he didn't mind one bit. When her nails sank into his skin he finally looked up at her face. She was so damn beautiful. He felt his heart nearly exploding in his chest and he pressed a kiss to her lips.

"I can't ever lose you Buffy," he breathed and she wrapped both her legs tighter around his waist and shook her head.

"You won't," she assured him. She herself was overwhelmed by the love that was pouring off him and the emotions she could feel inside her own heart. She loved him so much. She couldn't imagine a life without him either. "I love you too."

As he moved inside her he reveled in the fact that she, the most amazing person to ever walk the planet, actually loved him. He'd done some questionable things in his life and he doubted that he deserved anything as wonderful as Buffy. She made him feel so good, both physically and emotionally, that he vowed to spend the rest of his life trying to be a better person for her.

When he felt her kissing his neck and his shoulders he couldn't stop his body from trembling. Her touch sent shockwaves of pleasure down his spine.

"Oh god Buffy," he groaned as her nails began sliding down his back. "You're so good."

She moaned loudly at a particularly deep thrust and her mouth fell open. "Please Angel," she whispered shakily as she felt herself nearing the edge. He didn't know how much longer he could last either, but he didn't want this to end. He felt so connected to her. "Come with me," she breathed in his ear and her words were his undoing.

He slipped one hand between them and rubbed her clit in hard circles. He silenced her scream with a kiss as she exploded around him. As her walls fluttered around him, it was only a few more thrusts before he released deep inside her. He groaned against her mouth, wondering if it was possible to be addicted to another person. As her body relaxed below him he softened the kiss and tangled his fingers in her hair. His forehead rested against hers and for the first time he noticed he was sweating slightly.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly hoping he hadn't hurt her after her accident.

"I'm perfect," she assured him and he smiled as he kissed the tip of her nose lightly.

"You are," he replied as he rolled them over until her body was on top of his. "And I am not leaving your side for the rest of this trip," he promised and she smiled at how his arms tightened around her waist.

"Angel," she chuckled lightly. "You don't have to stay with me at all times."

"I don't have to, but I want to," he said simply as he kissed the top of her head. "We can argue about it later," he offered knowing she would have something to say about it. "For now just sleep. You need your rest," he told her as he saw her eyelids drooping.

It was only minutes after Buffy had fallen asleep on top of him that Angel felt his own exhaustion begin to overtake him. Now that he was convinced Buffy was okay, that their relationship was okay, and that his life wasn't going to fall apart, he couldn't fight sleep for another moment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Buffy turned over as she woke up and stared at Angel's face. He seemed so peaceful, but she knew the last 24 hours had been hell for him. Actually, they hadn't been great for her either. She'd been convinced that the man she loved was cheating on her with his ex. Although even as she was seeing him kiss Darla, her heart knew it was wrong. Intellectually she had thought he was cheating on her, betraying her, and ripping her heart out, but deep down she hadn't really believed it. Maybe it was foolish, but she couldn't help but think maybe it was something more.

A part of her had been a little afraid of how fast she'd fallen for him. And she had fallen fast. They'd made up a fake engagement and before the cookies were done baking in her kitchen, she was pretty sure she had been head over heels for him. That wasn't like her. She never fell hard or fast. Guys in high school always cared more about her than she did about them. Spike had pursued her long before she'd agreed to go out with him. And obviously Riley had been more invested in their relationship than she had been.

But with Angel things were so different. She lost a part of herself in him, and she didn't want it back. He had her heart. She glanced down at the claddagh ring on her finger. She was glad he'd never asked for it back when they got home after Christmas. And she also noticed he had never taken his off either. She smiled to herself as she realized that she'd had a part of his heart for just as long as he'd had a part of hers.

But still, she couldn't get the thought of Darla out of her head. Not Angel and Darla, just Darla. That bitch. Buffy had really never met her, but she hated her. And although Angel had made love to _her_ after he'd kissed Darla, that had been emotionally driven. Buffy couldn't help but want something a little more…primal. She wanted to claim him, make him forget all about Darla.

With a smile she pushed the sheets off of them and slid down his body. She looked at him and felt a rush of arousal as she saw that he was already semi hard. She reached out and wrapped her hand around him, stroking him slowly as he shifted in his sleep. He rolled slightly so he was completely on his back and she bent down to place teasing kisses along his inner thighs.

He grew harder in her hand and she heard him let out a groan. Glancing up she saw that he was still asleep, and she grinned. She'd only woken him up like this once before when they'd first gotten together, and it was really a shame. She loved to watch his face. His breathing had increased and she knew that if he were awake his hands would already be tangled in her hair. She'd never realized how much she liked to feel his fingers…

With that thought in mind she wrapped her lips around the tip of his arousal and couldn't help the moan that escaped when he jerked in her mouth. She sucked a little harder and he groaned harshly. Glancing up at him she saw when his eyes flew open and they immediately met hers.

"Buffy," he whispered and in response she ran her tongue along the underside of his cock and he let out a harsh breath as he tried to collect his thoughts.

He squeezed his eyes shut as his body responded wildly to Buffy's touch. But she shouldn't be doing this. She needed her sleep. And sitting in front of him naked as she sucked his dick was not…oh fuck he couldn't think. She used her teeth on him and he tried to muster up the strength to pull away.

"Shit Buffy," he gritted out. "You shouldn't…I thought…I was dreaming," he gasped as she sucked him hard and without mercy. "Am I dreaming?" he wondered in confusion. She looked up at him with a wicked gleam in her eye that only turned him on more, but he couldn't do this if she wasn't well. Or maybe if she was covered up it would be okay. There was logic there somewhere, right?

He pushed himself up until he was in a seated position, never slipping from her mouth as Buffy only sucked him deeper. One of her hands gripped the base of his cock and pumped him in time with her mouth. His body shook as one hand instinctively slid around to the back of her head. The other reached out for the blankets and he struggled to pull them up over Buffy even as he felt a tightening in his groin that begged him to thrust upwards just a little. Instead he clenched his hands in the blankets around her shoulders when suddenly she shoved the blankets back down out of her way.

"No Angel. I'm hot," she protested.

"Fuck yeah, you are," he groaned as she took nearly all of him in her mouth. "Oh god, Baby," he breathed out wondering how she blew his mind every damn time she did this to him. He'd had plenty of blow jobs before, from a number of different women, but there was just something that she did…

He moaned as her tongue flicked against the tip of his cock and he could already feel himself swelling in her mouth. Part of him hoped this was a dream because she was going to make him come about three minutes after she'd wrapped those gorgeous lips around him. That was nothing to be proud of on his part.

"Buffy," he groaned harshly as she sucked him hard and his fingers buried themselves in her hair. She alternated her rhythm, first fast, then slow, and it drove him wild. "Oh god Buffy," he whispered and he couldn't help but thrust into her mouth just slightly. Her hand reached out and massaged his balls and in seconds he came like a rocket in her mouth, her name escaping his lips in a strangled cry.

She placed light kisses along his softening shaft before crawling back up his body. Kissing him gently on the lips she pushed him back until he was lying back on the bed.

"Sleep," she told him as she cuddled back into his arms.

"I, I can't sleep after that," he gasped and she giggled as he reached out for her.

"You have a better idea?" she raised an eyebrow as she straddled his stomach.

"Hell yeah I do," he replied hungrily as he pulled her down for a searing kiss. His tongue plundered its way into her mouth, tasting himself as he did so and it made him want to take charge. He began to roll her under him, but she stopped his movements and broke the kiss.

"You got to do what you wanted before," she smirked and he couldn't help but smile in response. "So now I get to do what I want."

"Buffy, I think you may be overestimating me," he teased but when she bit at his lower lip he felt a stirring down below. She kissed him thoroughly and he groaned. God, just seconds ago she'd sucked him blind. He wanted to be inside her more than anything, but even _he_ wasn't that good. He needed more than seconds.

"You'll have plenty of time to recover," she assured him as her hands came up to rest on his chest. "You're a big guy Angel. There's plenty of other parts of your body I would like to pay attention to," she smiled in a way that had him shivering in anticipation. "Besides, I never said you couldn't touch me. I would just like to be on top."

"Baby," he gritted out as her fingernails scraped over his nipples. Fuck, she was going to kill him. "Uh, your knee," he trailed off and Buffy shook her head trying to hold in her laughter. He was hopeless. Here she was, trying to fuck him until he couldn't see straight, and he was worried about a bruise.

"Is just bruised," she assured him and when she wiggled on top of him he could feel her juices coating his stomach. "It's not even swollen anymore."

"So, you're okay?" he asked in a strained voice and when Buffy nodded he let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god," he rasped before yanking her hard until her bare chest collided with his. "Because I want you," he growled and when Buffy kissed him she knew that he would be willing to do whatever she wanted. Although she didn't think it would be much of a hardship for him.

"So I was thinking," Buffy spoke as she sat up. "That in a weird, twisted sort of way we should be thanking Darla," she said holding back her laughter at the look on Angel's face. "Okay, so I admit it took a lot of twisting logic to get my brain there," she conceded and she noticed that Angel's hands had now fallen possessively to her hips. "But, she caused our first real fight, right?"

"Yeah," he said hesitantly as his thumbs instinctively rubbed over the smooth skin of her hips.

"And although before we had amazing 'Thank god you're not dead because I couldn't have gone on without you sex,' now," she smiled as she leaned back down until her lips were less than an inch from his. "We get to have makeup sex," she grinned and he matched her smile as he brought her lips down his.

He knew Buffy was jealous, but if she wanted to look at the bright side of things for the moment he was sure as hell going to let her. And as his fingers got stuck in her tangled hair he slipped his tongue into her mouth. He smiled as he recalled how she'd referred to their desperate love making hours before. Something between them had changed. Their bond had grown deeper, stronger, and he was thrilled she'd felt it too.

"Since I screwed up, aren't I supposed to be in charge during makeup sex?" he teased as he kissed down to her chin.

"Nope," she disagreed playfully. "The spurned lover gets to be in charge so they can retaliate in any way they see fit," she spoke, her words ending in a giggle as his hands lightly tickled her sides.

"Is that so?" he asked pressing harder into her sides delighting when she laughed and squirmed even more. He hadn't known she was ticklish. As always she was a constant surprise.

"Yes," she said adamantly with one short nod.

"Well I was thinking…" he trailed off as his hands ran up and down the length of her back. "Since I'm not allowed to be on top at all, that maybe, you could help me out a little bit," he smirked and she looked at him curiously.

"What did you have in mind?" she wanted to know and his hands slid down to the outsides of her thighs.

"I was hoping you'd crawl up just a little bit," he smirked as he pulled her up his body. He slid down a few inches and glanced up at her when his mouth was lined up with her dripping sex. His hands massaged her thighs and she smiled as she shook her head.

"You're not good at giving up control, are you?" she asked playfully and he merely shrugged.

"I don't think you really want me to," he retorted before pulling her hips down to his face. His tongue licked between her folds and she reached for the headboard to steady herself. They'd never done this like this before and she found it exciting. She briefly made plans to do this another time but have him in her mouth as well. She'd never ever done that before, but a part of her had always wanted to. She'd been a little too insecure with Spike and Riley would have balked at the mere thought. But she knew Angel would do it. And she wanted to do it with him…

She opened her mouth to mention it, tease him, torture him with her plans, but the words turned into a moan when his tongue plunged into her. Her free hand speared through his hair, but it wasn't long before her knee was aching from supporting most of her weight. So she put both of her hands on the headboard and rode his tongue hard.

Angel noticed she was trying to keep weight off her knee, but knew she'd never let him know that. So instead of stopping or rolling her over, he grabbed her hips and lifted, holding most of her weight in his arms. The moan that left her lips was low and sexy as hell when he lifted his lips to suck on her clit. He moved his tongue over it, slowly grinding her hips against his mouth as he did so.

"A-Angel," she shuddered and he knew she was already close. He smiled inwardly. She may have made him come fast, but he could do the same to her. He wanted to use his fingers on her, but he had to keep holding her up. Even if her knee was just bruised, he didn't want her to be in pain.

She cried out in surprise as his tongue dipped back inside her depths, teasing her shallowly before plunging deeper. Unable to refrain, she brought one of her hands down from the headboard and tangled her fingers in his hair. She pulled on it, gasping for breath as she held his face against her.

His fingers tightened on her thighs, feeling his own body hardening as he drove her closer to release. He bit down hard on her clit like he knew she liked it before pushing his tongue back inside her. As soon as he heard her high pitched moan he felt a rush of wetness over his tongue. He groaned as he continued to taste her, slowly bringing her down.

"Angel," she whispered as she began to crawl back down his body. He pulled her limp body against his chest and she looked up at him with a dreamy smile. "You are so good at that," she sighed as she saw him licking around his lips, tasting what was left of her on his mouth. "Something else I should thank Darla for?" she quirked an eyebrow at him and he laughed as he shook his head.

"Hmm, no that's more of a natural talent," he assured her. She smiled as she crawled up until she could rest her forehead against his.

"VERY good answer," she told him and he chuckled before his lips were captured in a hot kiss promising so much more.

"Good enough to let me be on top?" he wondered but she shook her head. "It was worth a shot," he shrugged with a cocky grin.

"You are persistent," she mused as her hands ran over his chest. "But if you recall, I told you I wanted to explore your body."

"Explore away, Magellan," he assured her as he realized just how much he'd changed since he'd met her. A month ago he wouldn't have made a playful comment like that. But she made him feel lighter, more carefree, and it was nice.

She grinned down at him before lowering her head to kiss along his throat. His eyes fluttered shut and he ran one hand lightly down her back. He was relaxing under the leisurely pace of her lips as they moved over his flesh, enjoying the tingling sensation it sent shooting down his spine. But suddenly she bit down hard where his neck met his shoulder and his eyes flew open. So much for that leisurely pace.

Her gaze met his and he could see a wicked gleam in her eye. She was going to toy with him…

Her hands ran up and down his biceps as her tongue traced the lines of his chest. She loved his body. It was so damn sexy. She'd never once seen him working out, but nobody just naturally had a body like his. Her hands traveled down to his stomach and the muscles there clenched under her touch. She smiled to herself. He had washboard abs.

She may not know his workout regimen, but one thing she did know was that his body was built for sex. Hard but smooth in all the right places. She saw that he was already almost fully erect and she wondered how long she'd be able to keep this up. She really wanted him inside her. Maybe she'd just speed up her plan.

Her hands ran down his thighs, and he shivered under her fingers. He loved her hands. They were so tiny and always so soft, but she sure as hell knew what to do with them. He groaned as she slid her hands around to the back of his knees. And then she was kissing along his inner thighs. God, she was trying to kill him, wasn't she? Her hair was tickling his legs and her fingers were applying pressure in all the right places. Places he hadn't even known were sexual until Buffy.

She worked her way back up his body. When her teeth sank into his hip bone he nearly flew off the bed. His dick was aching and he let out an undignified whimper as she passed by it back up to his stomach. It was throbbing and he just needed her to touch it. Instead she reached out for his right hand and as she began massaging his palm he begged her with his eyes to have mercy on him. But at her wicked smile he knew she was enjoying herself far too much.

She rubbed between his thumb and forefinger and it sent a rush of arousal down his spine. How the hell did she know all these tricks? He was older, he should be more experienced! Oh, but fuck he wasn't complaining. When she reached for his other hand he gave it to her eagerly and she repeated the process.

His whole body was tight with tension and need, and staring at a naked Buffy straddling his hips was hardly helping matters. He was trying to be patient, he really was. She wanted control and he wanted to give it to her. But this was sheer torture. He wanted to beg her to just fuck him already. To take him inside her and ride him. Hard.

But he didn't want to say anything that would disturb this charged silence that had settled between them. Usually sex between them was filled with some type of talking, often Buffy's witty retorts, but today it was silent. And it was hot.

Slowly she brought his hand to her lips and sucked his middle finger into her mouth. He gasped at the sensation, easily remembering how not long before she'd had those lips wrapped around something much lower. When she released his finger she brought his to the hard bundle of nerves between her legs. As she guided his movements with her own hand he looked up at her face. Her eyes were half shut and her cheeks were flushed.

He used a bit of his own power to put more pressure on her clit and at her gasp he couldn't help but groan. His girlfriend was _so damn hot…_

"Buffy," he breathed desperate to be buried to the hilt inside her. Her eyes flew up to his and he saw that she was close. Oh god, he wanted to feel her around him when she came. "Come on Baby," he whispered hoarsely. "Please."

"Angel," she moaned but was unable to finish her thought as he dipped a finger inside her. Her hand fell away leaving him to pleasure her.

"Does that feel good?" he asked and she nodded mutely while working her hips against his hand. His free hand came down to stroke his pulsating cock just once. He could feel her dripping on his stomach and her little hands curled into his chest, clutching at the muscles there like they could anchor her if he really did send her flying. "Oh goddamn, you're so hot," he breathed and her teeth sunk into her bottom lip.

"Just don't stop," she pleaded and he didn't. Instead he rubbed harder, angling his fingers upwards.

"Baby you know I can do so much better than my fingers," he spoke in a strained whisper. He sat up slightly and when she didn't protest he removed his fingers, lifted her hips, and positioned her over his rampant erection. She didn't hesitate to lower herself onto him and he yanked her down hard until he was seated completely inside her.

On her low moan he leaned forward and sucked her breast into his mouth. He had been far too passive thus far. He needed to taste her skin. She wiggled her hips above him and without removing his mouth he looked up at her face. It was already twisted in pleasure and he decided to just let her keep setting the pace. Finally she raised herself up off him before falling back down and after doing that just once more she cried out and he felt her muscles clenching hard around his cock in her release.

Fuck, he'd known she was close, but he hadn't known she was _that_ close.

"Oh god," she cried softly and his hands slid around to cup her ass while she mewled in pleasure. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he kissed his way up to her ear.

"Ride me, Baby," he whispered and the words got to her just like he knew they would. A shudder went through her body before she quickly moved up and down over his cock. Rotating her hips and alternating her rhythm was nearly enough to send Angel over the edge. Needing something to distract him he leaned forward and sucked the skin of her shoulder into his mouth.

One of her hands held him there while the other reached for the headboard for leverage. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Damn, she thought. He really does have a body built for sex.

His hands cupped her hips and urged her to move faster and harder against him. She was breathing heavily and could feel him swelling inside her. He was still sucking on her shoulder and she knew he was going to leave a mark but she didn't care. Right now it just felt too good.

He couldn't help but thrust up into her and he knew he'd lose it within seconds. She felt amazing. God, he felt like he was burning inside her, but it felt so damn good. He pressed her even closer to him and slipped one hand between their bodies. Using two fingers he pinched her clit and she buried her face in his neck to muffle her scream as she came in a powerful wave of pleasure.

Feeling her body convulse around him he finally let go. Roaring out something that sounded like her name he spent himself inside her.

Angel collapsed wearily on the pillows behind him, pulling Buffy with him. Groaning at the movement since he was still inside her, Buffy shifted until he slipped out of her. Then she crawled up higher on his body until she could bury her face in the crook of his neck.

"I'm exhausted," Buffy laughed as she turned to place a kiss on his chest.

"You need rest," he said quickly concerned and she smiled as she shook her head.

"I don't need rest from being hypothermic Angel. I need rest from the animalistic sex we just had," she explained and he cleared his throat and shifted slightly on the bed.

"Oh. Right," he said and she laughed at him. "I could do with a nap too," he admitted and she glanced up at him. "Want to order food when we wake up?" he asked and when she grinned he leaned down to place a kiss on her lips. "Get some sleep, Baby," he whispered as her eyelids began to grow heavy.


	26. Chapter 26

**Sorry it took so long guys. I don't really have an excuse besides having trouble writing. Every time I'd sit down to write I'd write and it would only be like 300 words lol. Not quite enough for a chapter. Anyways, I finally finished it. Hopefully the next one won't take too long. I'm leaving for vacation next week so I won't have as much time to write. I'll still have internet while I'm away and I'm bringing my laptop so I will write, but maybe not as much. But I'll be back in a couple weeks and back to the regular schedule. **

**I hope you enjoy this. Please leave me some feedback and let me know what you think!**

PART 26

"They're still serving breakfast?" Buffy asked surprised as Angel rolled the cart with all the food they'd ordered from room service over to the bed. She looked at the food and there were sandwiches, eggs, and a cheeseburger. It was enough for five people.

"They are to people who threaten to sue them for endangering their guests," he joked but Buffy had a feeling that was exactly what he'd done. Deciding not to question him further because it would only embarrass him, she reached out for the silverware.

"So what's mine?" she wondered and he shrugged as he sat next to her on the bed.

"I wasn't sure what you'd want. Pick whatever you like. I'm so hungry I could eat anything," he told her and she reached for the eggs. Ever since she'd had eggs from Angel she was curious to know how good his eggs were in comparison to most. Sure they were better than hers, but that wasn't saying much. "Are you going to eat the cheeseburger? Or should I have a sandwich? I really don't care."

"Have the burger," she replied before shoveling a forkful of eggs into her mouth. She chewed and she thought about it. They were good, but not as good as Angel's. She was biased, but she was pretty sure Angel had the market cornered on eggs. Someday she'd have to get him to teach her. But maybe she should master the simpler things first. Like toast. She thought she had that down, but she'd burned it last time she tried.

"So…" Angel trailed off as he glanced over at her. He really wasn't sure if he should bring up what they were going to do for the rest of the day, but considering it was past lunchtime it seemed inevitable. "Anything you want to do?"

"Well with my ankle I think skiing's pretty much out for today," she replied. "But I think you should still go out at least for a while."

"No way," he shook his head immediately and she rolled her eyes. "I almost lost you and I just got you back. I'm not leaving your side."

"Angel, there's no point in you wasting your vacation because I have a sprained ankle," she pointed out but he shook his head again.

"You don't get it, do you?" he asked gently and she shrugged. "I didn't come here to ski. I didn't come here to be with friends. I came here to be with you," he said simply and she found herself stunned into silence.

"I just want you to have a good time," she told him and he smiled sincerely at her before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer.

"I am having a good time," he promised.

"Aside from being sexually assaulted by an ex-girlfriend, fighting with your current girlfriend, and nearly losing said girlfriend to an angry tree, that is," she clarified and he shot her his most charming smile. When she returned his smile he relaxed.

"See Baby? You keep me plenty entertained."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So…I was thinking we could try out that shower," Buffy suggested as she wrapped her arms around him from behind. Placing a kiss on his shoulder she slid her hands over his chest.

"Baby, you can't stand on that ankle in the shower," he reminded her as he turned to face her. Smiling at her petulant look he kissed the pout right off her lips.

"But I wouldn't have to stand that much," she argued against his lips. "You'd hold me up most of the time anyways," she said sweetly and he held back a groan at her obvious insinuation. They really had only shared a few showers together. It was a crime.

"I think I have a better idea," he replied as he pressed his lips firmly to hers. "Wait here."

Standing up, he didn't bother to put on any clothes. He headed for the bathroom and immediately turned on the heat lamp. Turning towards the large Jacuzzi tub he fiddled with the nobs until steaming hot water was running into the tub. He turned on all the jets and waited until the tub was full. Stopping the water he hurried back to Buffy to find her sitting up waiting for him on the bed.

"I've never taken a bath with someone else before," Buffy told him and he smiled at the light blush that consumed her cheeks.

"Well, I think you were better off waiting to do it with me," he smirked and she smiled as he reached the bed.

"Me too," she said softly and he easily lifted her into his arms. The truth was she had never considered taking a bath with another man. With Spike she'd been in college and his apartment had only had a shower and with Riley it just had never really come up. But now with Angel she couldn't wait to feel with water on her skin as Angel's strong arms wrapped around her.

For Angel's part, he had taken baths with women before, but he had never been overly excited about the idea. He had just done it because his girlfriends had wanted to. But when he thought about the warm water surrounding them and Buffy seated between his legs, it seemed wonderful. And he could wash her hair and lather up her body…

When they reached the bathroom he had Buffy pull the door shut behind them. As he walked them to the tub he considered setting her down, but didn't know how he'd get her in once he was in. So instead he very carefully stepped up the small stairs and down into the tub, holding Buffy in his arms the whole time. He lowered himself into the water and when he was finally seated he adjusted her so she could sit between his legs.

"This was a good idea," she murmured as she rested her head back against his chest. His hands stroked the smooth skin of her stomach and he could feel both his and her body relaxing under the pressure of the jets and the hot water.

He let out a deep breath as he buried his nose in her hair, holding her against him. This felt so good. He was so calm right now, just lying here in the tub with her. Nobody had made him feel that way before. He knew only she could do it because they were meant for each other. That was it. Pure and simple. He'd known it in his heart for a while, but it wasn't until she was missing that his brain had actually accepted the fact that he was hers forever and there was no turning back. At the ripe old age of 27, he had found his soul mate.

He remembered summers in Ireland with Doyle when they were teenagers, they had planned to get as many girls as they could until they were well into their thirties. They'd made a pact to never settle down. And if one did the other was supposed to take the other out to a strip club, a bar, anything and make them see the error of their ways. Angel smiled lightly at the memories. Now neither of them were even 30 and they were both tied down.

"Buffy?" he whispered wondering if she had dozed off while he'd been thinking.

"Hmm?" she replied tilting her head so she could see his face.

"Did I ever tell you how Doyle and I knew each other?" he asked and she shook her head. "His parents and mine were good friends. We were practically brothers," he began and Buffy smiled as she took in the fond smile on his face. "His family stayed in Ireland while mine moved here. But every summer we stayed with them. He came here for college. He had planned to go back to Ireland after, but then he met Cordy. He met her before we even knew she was my sister."

"Really?" she asked surprised and he nodded.

"I didn't meet her. Cordy wasn't exactly accepting of Doyle into her life. You know Cordy. And she was 18 then, just getting out of high school," he reminded her and Buffy nodded.

"I know that Cordy," she laughed and Angel absentmindedly traced light patterns on her stomach with his fingertips.

"So I didn't meet Cordy until the funeral and needless to say Doyle was surprised," he finished as he placed a kiss on the side of her neck.

"I can imagine," she said quietly as she tilted her neck to give him better access.

"You know, Doyle and I used to swear we'd spend our twenties and most of our thirties trying to get as many girls as we could. We insisted we'd never settle down," he smiled against her skin and kissed it again.

"Never?" she challenged playfully as she turned so she could see him.

"Not for as long as we could help it," he told her and Buffy smiled.

"How long did that last?" she wondered and Angel chuckled.

"Until the minute Doyle saw Cordelia. He was dead set on having her," he answered.

"And what about you?" she asked and he smiled at her not so subtle questioning.

"The minute I laid eyes on you," he replied simply but she remained skeptical.

"You had other serious girlfriends before me," she pointed out but he shrugged.

"Girlfriends, sure. But not someone that meant everything to me," he said and she could see the honesty in his eyes. "Not someone I would die for…kill for…" he trailed off when Buffy leaned up and pressed her lips to his. His tongue slipped into her mouth and he brought his hand up out of the water to cup the back of her neck. His free arm held her body against his and he reveled in the feeling of her slippery skin sliding against his. She sighed as he softened the kiss and she rested her forehead against his.

"I'm so lucky to have found you," she said quietly and he smiled. She settled back against his chest and he held her, content to just have her close to him.

"My dad used to tell me that when I met the right girl I'd know it. Then he laughed and told me I'd try to fight it, but I'd know it," he said as he remembered the things his father had said to him when he'd first started dating. "He was so damn wrong," he chuckled and Buffy looked up at him in confusion. "I didn't try to fight it for a second. I couldn't," he shrugged and he thought the way her cheeks blushed at his comment was adorable. "I fell for you so fast and so hard."

"You weren't alone," she assured him and this time it was Angel who initiated the kiss.

Buffy gasped in surprise as he kissed her passionately, his emotions overflowing into the kiss. His tongue plunged into her mouth and she responded quickly. His hands were all over her slick body and when he gently ran a hand over her breast she shivered lightly. She could feel his growing arousal pressing against her back and although she could feel the rush of heat between her own legs she broke the kiss.

"As much as I want to," she trailed off as Angel's tongue traced the path of a water droplet down her neck. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip and she held back a moan. "We need to actually, you know, um, bathe," she reminded him as she reached for the shampoo. "Turn around."

He pouted, but when he saw her breathing heavily with wet strands of hair clinging to her shoulders all was forgiven. He turned around easily since the tub was so big, and she guided his head back until he wet his hair. She poured some shampoo in her hands before lathering it in his hair. As she massaged his scalp he let out a low moan. He'd had no idea that someone washing his hair could be so sensual.

"Buffy," he murmured and although she was sure his hair was clean, she didn't stop her fingers. His head lolled back into her touch and she knew his eyes were shut. Her fingers ran through his thick hair and he sighed in contentment. "That feels so good," he whispered and she gently eased his head back so he could rinse out the shampoo.

"We still need conditioner, right?" he asked hopefully and when she nodded he grinned, turning his back to her so she could work her magic again. As she worked the conditioner into his scalp he felt her breath on his neck. Every tug and pull on his hair seemed to shoot straight to his groin and he had to hold on to the edges of the tub to keep from wrapping one of his hands around his cock.

"Still good?" she asked when she hadn't heard any responses from him for a while.

"God yeah," he let out a strangled moan and Buffy smiled as she spotted his white knuckle grip on the tub.

"So, I was wondering if you'd rather I wash my hair so we can get done faster and move on to _other_ things," she hinted as she leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"No," he shook his head once before craning his neck to look at her. "I want to do it," he told her and she was shocked at how much that pleased her.

She rinsed the conditioner out of his hair and he slowly turned around. Smiling at Buffy seated in front of him he leaned forward and kissed her. Nipping playfully at her lower lip he buried his fingers in her hair which was already half wet from the tub.

"Your turn," he announced as he helped her turn so she wouldn't hurt her sore ankle. "If I can do half as good a job as you did, you'll love this," he promised before he eased her head back to wet her hair. If he'd thought this through ahead of time he'd have found a pitcher or…they called them something else in the bathroom, didn't they? Whatever, Something to pour the water. But as she lifted her head out of the water he watched the drops slide down her shoulders and he really didn't care about pitchers, or whatever the hell they were called.

Swallowing thickly he reached the shampoo and poured some into his palm. He'd never washed someone else's hair before, so he wasn't sure he knew what he was doing, but he wanted to try. For a moment he'd considered her offer of her washing her hair to save time and perhaps some embarrassment if he was somehow inept at washing the gorgeous blond locks, but then he'd reconsidered. He wanted to give her the same treatment she'd given him. He didn't care if it took extra time or delayed sex. It would be so worth it.

Slowly he worked the shampoo into her hair being careful not to cause any tangles. He thought he noticed her entire body relaxing as his fingers set to her scalp, but he was concentrating fully on his task. He really didn't want to be the stupid male who'd insisted he wash his girlfriend's hair and then give her a tangled mess.

"Angel," she whimpered and his hands stilled. Was that a good whimper or a bad whimper? He sighed internally. There was only one way to know.

"How am I doing?" he finally asked.

"Incredible," she whispered and he grinned before resuming his massage. Buffy was amazed. His fingers seemed to touch all the perfect spots. "I think you have magic hands," she mumbled and he chuckled as he guided her head back to the water to rinse the suds out of her hair.

"That is very good to hear," he smirked as he leaned forward to kiss her lightly before grabbing the conditioner.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Go," Buffy ordered for the millionth time but Angel was stubborn as could be.

"No. I'm staying with you," he insisted as he sat with her on the couch. Buffy sighed inwardly as she thought of a different approach.

"Angel, I'm just telling you to go skiing with the guys for a couple hours," she said gently. "I'll eat a late lunch with Willow. She's was worried about me too. She just needs to see for herself that I'm okay," she explained and Angel felt himself beginning to waver. She could see the resistance in his eyes fading and she continued on. "You're only staying with me because you feel guilty."

"Buffy, I-"

"And I love you for that," she cut him off by placing a light kiss on his lips. "But you don't need to. And you're only making me feel worse by not going because now _I_ feel bad," she pouted as she rested against his shoulder comfortably. His head sagged against hers and she knew before he even spoke that she had won.

"Fine, but you'll let me carry you down to wherever you're meeting Willow," he compromised and she smiled.

"Deal."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Buffy?" Willow asked after Angel had finally left Buffy's side. "I-if you're not it's okay."

"Aside from the ankle I'm fine, Will," she assured her friend who smiled at the news. "Although my boyfriend is being extremely overprotective," she told her but Willow's smile only widened.

"He loves you so much," she replied as she took a sip of her drink. "I didn't realize how serious you two were."

"Why was he out looking for me?" she voiced the question that had been plaguing her ever since she regained consciousness. "I mean, don't they have guys for that?"

"They do, but with the storm and everything they had to call off the search for you until morning," the redhead explained and Buffy shivered slightly at the thought of having to endure the cold weather all night. "At first they didn't even believe you were lost, but Angel and I convinced them something was wrong."

"How?" Buffy wondered and Willow beamed.

"Mostly Angel threatened them. Oh Buffy, you should have seen him," she gushed excitedly. "And then when they called off the search he insisted on going out to look for you himself. The staff tried to stop him, but he just got all growly and said he would check out and they couldn't stop him if he wasn't a guest."

"Who was the guy he was with?" Buffy asked and Willow shook her head.

"Don't know. Some guy that was on the search team I think. Angel wanted to go alone," Willow stated and Buffy found herself unhappy with the idea of Angel trekking through snowy mountains in a horrible storm alone.

"Why wouldn't he bring someone with him?" Buffy demanded somewhat angrily but Willow merely shrugged.

"Xander offered to go, but you, Angel, and I all know that Xander would have only slowed Angel down. Xander isn't exactly known for his athletic prowess," she pointed out and Buffy conceded to that point. "Neither is Oz. Anya wouldn't risk herself, he'd never let his sister go, Fred's practically his sister, I think Cordelia would have killed him if he'd have let Doyle go, and I think he left Wesley here to make sure that if something did happen there was someone that would take care of Fred, his mom, and Cordelia," she finished softly and Buffy rested her chin in her palm. Of course Angel would be incredibly self-sacrificing even when trying to play hero.

"And he told me I had to stay here," she added surprising Buffy. "I'm not sure I would have been much help anyways, but he told me that if he didn't make it back then I needed to be in charge of making sure we found you and that you were safe."

"He shouldn't have gone out alone," Buffy insisted but Willow merely sighed.

"We were all terrified for you Buffy. Especially Angel. He's usually so together. I've never seen him like that," she admitted and Buffy remained quiet. "I don't think any of us were thinking clearly. Especially Angel. Because, you know, love makes you do the wacky."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I trust that Buffy is feeling better?" Wes inquired as him, Doyle, and Angel trekked through the snow. Xander had had to stay behind to convince Anya that the bunny slopes didn't actually have anything to do with bunnies.

"Yes, much better," Angel assured them.

"And I trust that you're not getting back together with Darla?" Doyle added and Angel merely shot him a glare in response. "Good. Not only was I tired of her myself, but if I had to hear one more word out of Delia's mouth about her I might just have to resort to drinking American beer just to get through the day," he exaggerated and Angel laughed at his friend.

"No, I'm with Buffy," he stated and Wesley nodded having already assumed as much but he was glad to hear it from Angel's mouth.

"I like her," Wes replied and Angel chuckled lightly. "She's quite refreshing. And not your normal type. Well physically she's your normal type, but otherwise-"

"I got it, Wes, thanks," he cut him off and Wes merely shrugged and all three friends knew he was speaking the truth. It was no secret that Angel had an affinity for small blonds.

"When I first met Fred I knew she was special," the Brit said with a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

"You were ten," Angel shot back but Wesley merely shrugged.

"Ten or fifty," Doyle cut in. "When true love comes knocking, it grabs you by the balls. Especially if it comes as Cordelia Chase. I knew the minute I saw her."

"Did you know right away Angel?" Wesley wanted to know wondering what he would admit to. Wes was positive that Angel was meant to be with Buffy and that their relationship would stand the test of time. He'd never seen his friend this happy and he knew it had everything to do with Buffy. He just wasn't sure if Angel had admitted that to himself yet.

"Yeah," Angel finally conceded as he remembered when he saw her that very first night in the Bronze. Every nerve in his body had been tingling and he'd been practically itching to go talk to her. He'd had to have her and a part of him knew he would regret it every day if he didn't go find out more about her. And now he was so glad he did.

"What the hell happened to us?" Doyle suddenly wondered and Angel chuckled knowing immediately what he was talking about. "Not so much you Wes since you've been married since junior high, but Angel and me. We were going to scour the world for women, remember?" he asked and Angel nodded. "We weren't going to settle down. We had a pact, man. A pact!"

"We were twelve," Angel reminded him but Doyle held his ground.

"A pact is a pact. It can't be broken," he insisted.

"You broke it first," Angel taunted and Doyle grumbled. "You've been with Cordy for years. And you're engaged," he added and Doyle glared at him in annoyance.

"Yeah well, you've known Buffy for what? Five minutes? And she's already got you so whipped you can't tell up from down," he shot back and the smile faded off Angel's face and he sighed.

"God that's so true," he admitted shaking his head. "It really did just take her about five minutes, didn't it?"

"I believe assuming you held out five minutes is being overly generous in favor of yourself," Wes said matter-of-factly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Please tell me that you and my hopeless brother worked things out," Cordelia begged as she flopped onto the couch in the lobby next to Willow who had been chatting with Buffy and Fred.

"I did," Buffy assured her. "We're fine."

"Thank God. I don't think I could take one more second of his self-hatred and brooding," she sighed and Fred couldn't hold back a giggle.

"What?" Buffy asked, surprised by the shy girl.

"It's just that Angel never changes," she shook her head. "He was always like that. Whenever anything went wrong he blamed himself," she shrugged. "I'm surprised he went out skiing instead of staying here with you."

"Well I had to force him," Buffy admitted. "Actually, I had to make him feel guilty for staying," she couldn't hold back her own giggle and soon all four girls laughing at the situation. "I told him he was making me feel terrible and if he didn't go skiing he was going to ruin MY vacation."

"Well played, Buffy," Cordy complimented. "It seems you picked up a thing or two from me in high school," she teased and Buffy blushed as she remembered answering Angel's cell phone when Darla had called the day after they'd met. "What? What are you blushing about?" Cordelia demanded before a horrible thought popped into her head. "Unless it's something I really don't want to know about my brother," she cringed but Buffy laughed and shook her head.

"No. Um, it's something else I learned from you. The night after I met Angel," she began and found she had three very attentive listeners. "Darla called him the next morning. He was going to ignore the call, but I answered instead."

"Did you use your sleepy morning voice?" Cordelia asked skeptically. She seriously doubted the Buffy Summers she knew would be calculating enough to think to do that.

"How else would I answer?" she shot back and Cordelia grinned, deciding that she had definitely rubbed off on Buffy in high school. "I told Darla that Angel was still sleeping because we'd been out the night before celebrating," she blushed and Cordelia grinned imagining Darla's reaction.

"Were you?" Fred asked quietly and Buffy looked at her curiously. "Celebrating?"

"Oh," Buffy blushed even deeper and shook her head. "No. Wallowing maybe. Our relationships had both ended that day so we got drunk. I got _really_ drunk so it's a little hazy," she admitted with a wry smile. "And now knowing Angel I can assume he walked me home, made sure I was safe, you know him."

"Of course," Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Can't leave a poor damsel in distress."

"I do remember him being so mad he let me get drunk," Buffy smiled at the memory and Willow listened closely. They hadn't really talked much about the first few days Buffy had known Angel so this was all news to her. She'd known Buffy had gotten drunk with him that night, but she'd never really gotten details. So much had happened since it had hardly seemed important by the time they talked. "He felt so guilty."

"Well of course he did. Because how could a 22 year old be responsible for her own actions, right?" Cordy shot back and Buffy nodded. "Good thing you guys didn't kiss or anything. He'd have had to go to confession ten times before he saw you again," she muttered but all three girls noticed when Buffy's face flamed a brighter red than any of them had ever seen.

"You did kiss!" Willow exclaimed, shocked by this news. How had she not known? "Buffy, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't remember," Buffy admitted and Cordelia's face lit up.

"Are you telling me that my morally sound, 'I'm the social conscience of America' brother took advantage of you and kissed you when you were so drunk you couldn't even remember it afterwards?" Cordy yelled thrilled at the prospect of having something else to taunt her brother with.

"Um, from what he tells me it was kind of the other way around."

"You kissed him?" Cordy screeched and Buffy buried her face in her hands, still embarrassed by the fact that she had done that and couldn't remember it. "I'm impressed!"

"So that was your first kiss?" Fred wondered and Buffy shrugged.

"We've had so many first kisses I don't even know what you can consider our first kiss," she said confusing all three girls. "Well there was that one, one my mom forced out of us when we were still pretending to be together, one that just sort of happened that we denied, and then the one after we finally decided to get together," she explained and the four girls all stared at her. "What?"

"You have a very complicated relationship," Willow finally summarized eliciting laughter from all of them again. Willow was right. It was complicated. Complicated, but good.


	27. Chapter 27

**To start, I have a poll on my profile about which type of story I should post after I finish this one. I'd really appreciate if everyone could just vote quickly and help me decide. **

**Next, I'm so incredibly sorry it took so long for an update. I don't know if anyone heard about the cyclospora outbreak in some states, but trust me, it makes you REALLY sick. I have literally never been that sick in my life. It's been 5 weeks and I'm still not totally recovered. All four members of my family got it within four days of each other, and it was just terrible. My sister was in the ER...just a mess. Then, after postponing due to the illness, we left for vacation. I thought I'd be able to write on vacation, and I could, but I was still so tired from being sick I didn't have much free time. So all of that combined, I finally got down to writing a couple weeks ago and now I have a chapter.  
**

**It's not my favorite chapter, a bit of filler, but I hope you enjoy it. I was going to have another huge plot twist, but I decided it didn't fit in with the tone of this story and would fit much better with another one I'm writing soon. So less drama, but less ideas to write about too. This chapter didn't come together easily. Please let me know if you like it and any thoughts you have on the story, their relationship, or things you'd like to see before this ends.  
**

**Again, I'm sorry for the wait. The next one will be sooner unless there's some other bacteria outbreak!  
**

PART 27

"This is really your favorite movie?" Buffy asked excitedly as she selected E.T. from the TV menu and ordered it for their room.

"Yeah," Angel chuckled at her excitement. "I went through a Spielberg phase in middle school," he admitted sheepishly and she grinned up at him.

"You are so my high school crush right now," she sighed wistfully as she cuddled up against his side.

"Because I like E.T.?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Dawson's Creek? Dawson loved Speilberg," she explained but she was met with only a blank look. "Oh you're such a guy," she scolded. "It was my favorite TV show in high school. I was in love with the main character until I realized I had a forbidden attraction to said main character's best friend."

"Just how invested in this show were you?" Angel teased with a raised eyebrow and she glared playfully at him.

"It was a good show," she insisted as she blushed slightly. "Oh just shut up," she told him suddenly feeling embarrassed for her very teeny moment.

"But you're so cute when you blush," he taunted playfully as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. "You get all flushed and you get this little embarrassed smile."

"Stop it," she begged as she felt the exact things he'd just mentioned growing even more noticeable.

"Never," he replied as he leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. "You know, I wish you weren't hurt, but in a way I like having an excuse to just stay in the room," he murmured against her mouth.

"There is something to be said for that," she agreed with a smile.

"I've had a great time on this trip," he said.

"Cooped up in the hotel room?" Buffy raised an eyebrow and Angel chuckled as he pulled her chest closer to his.

"If by cooped up you mean happily locked away with my beautiful girlfriend," Angel shot her his biggest grin that always made her weak in the knees. "Then yes. Being cooped up is fun."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What do you think he's doing?" Willow asked as Buffy sat on Willow's bed while her friend got ready to meet Oz by the ski lifts.

"Knowing Angel, probably planning something over the top and romantic," she rolled her eyes but couldn't contain her blush. "It's his go-to move."

"Oh you poor thing," Willow replied sarcastically and Buffy grinned as Willow shook her head.

"Yeah it's pretty terrible when he cooks for me too," Buffy sighed playfully and Willow giggled as she sat next to Buffy sensing it was time for girl talk.

"He's a real jerk," she agreed in a mocking tone. "And the way he looks at you like you're the most beautiful girl he's ever seen? Disgusting!" Willow exclaimed truly happy for her friend.

"I know," Buffy shrugged as if she was helpless to stop it. "I can't think of anything that would be worse."

"Maybe if he was selfish in bed," Willow offered and Buffy's mouth fell open in shock at her usually innocent friend suggesting such a thing.

"Will!" she squealed as Willow blushed and ducked her head to avoid Buffy's eyes. "I can't belief you just said that."

"Me either," Willow admitted and they both burst into a fit of giggles. Slowly they calmed down and Buffy settled back against the headboard. After a few moments of silence, Willow couldn't contain her curiosity. "So…is he?"

"What?" Buffy asked and Willow just gave her a pointed look. "Selfish in bed?" Buffy clarified and Willow nodded but Buffy just laughed. "Um…no. Quite the opposite actually," she answered and both girls blushed.

"Well, that's….good. Because I know Riley didn't, or couldn't, or um, well you know what I mean," Willow stuttered and Buffy shook her head.

"Right," Buffy nodded remembering when she had confessed to Willow that she always found sex with Riley to be less than thrilling. "But Angel's nothing like Riley in any way, especially that one."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So do we really have to make the s'mores in our room?" Angel asked when Buffy told him the entire group would be meeting in their room later to gather and make s'mores.

"We're the only ones with a real fireplace," she pointed out and he sighed. That was pretty important for s'mores.

"Is that even safe?" he asked but when he looked up and saw her looking at him, her bottom lip stuck out just a bit in a pout he sighed. "Fine," he gave in without argument. "But until then…" he trailed off as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I have some plans."

"Is that so?" Buffy replied as she rested her hands on his shoulders. "Would those involve leaving the room?" she wondered. She hadn't bothered to get dressed since they'd fallen into bed together a little while ago and she wasn't sure she was up for anything around the lodge. Her ankle was still sore.

"It would," he told her and she looked at him in surprise. "You'll like it," he promised as he caressed the skin of her lower back. "And you don't have to walk."

"You know you're a perfect boyfriend, right?" she blushed as she felt her heart flutter in her chest. Every once in a while he'd say or do something that was so thoughtful it took her breath away. He'd gone downstairs to get hot chocolate while she'd still been napping and now because of her ankle he'd made alternate plans for them. They couldn't ski, but it seemed he'd found something he thought they could do.

"I try," he shrugged with a smile and she leaned forward to kiss him gently.

"You succeed," she whispered against his lips. "You're the best boyfriend a girl could ask for."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That's incredible," Buffy breathed as they took in the view of the snow covered mountains below them. She peered over the edge of the hot air balloon and let out a deep breath. "I wish I had my camera."

"Here," Angel said as he pulled her camera out of his coat pocket. "I figured you'd want pictures," he shrugged at her surprised look.

"Like I said, you're the perfect boyfriend," she gushed as she leaned up to place a kiss on his lips.

"Is your ankle okay?" he asked and she nodded. He'd been careful to support most of her weight as they stood in the basket of the balloon and she was grateful.

"It's already been ten minutes. We're a little less than halfway through the ride," the man with them said and they nodded their thanks. "It looks like you folks will be seeing the sunset from up here," he gestured out to the now brightly colored sky. There were now shades of orange and pink mixed with the blue and Buffy snapped a few pictures to remember the scene.

"It's beautiful," she said and Angel nodded as he pulled her closer by her waist.

"It is. Very beautiful," he agreed as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I wish you guys weren't leaving tonight," Willow said to Buffy and Angel as she stuck her marshmallow in the fire. "We could all eat breakfast tomorrow or something."

"We want to visit Angel's mom on the way back and traffic will be really bad in the morning," Buffy explained and Willow nodded in understanding.

"I'm glad you'll be seeing your mom Angel," Fred spoke up and he gave her a small smile. "Tell her we said hello."

"I will," he promised and Fred smiled shyly before grabbing a marshmallow.

"Cordy, is there a reason you only eat the chocolate?" Xander wondered and she glared at him as she unwrapped a mini Hershey's bar.

"The marshmallows are too sticky," she stated as if it were obvious. "And why would I want to have to stick my food in a fire? Are we in the middle ages?"

"Good old Queen C," Xander replied eliciting chuckles from the group.

"She has a point," Anya said as she pulled a marshmallow off her stick. "They _are_ very sticky."

"It's all part of the experience," Buffy told them all as she licked the remaining marshmallow from her fingers. Angel saw her from the corner of his eye and he shot her a glare. Did she _have_ to lick it off like that here in front of all their friends where he couldn't do anything about it? Her tongue darted out to lick a dab of melted chocolate off her lip and he bit back a groan. S'mores weren't supposed to be this erotic.

He watched her, but she seemed oblivious to the effect she was having on him. She talked and laughed with her friends while he idly chewed on a graham cracker. Maybe it would have been better if he'd sat next to Doyle. Then he wouldn't have to fight the urge to reach out and slip his hand under her shirt. Or lick the marshmallow off her fingers for her.

She turned to him and held up a marshmallow in offering to him. His mouth quirked up in a half smile and she fed him the marshmallow. His eyes locked with hers and he purposely wrapped his tongue around her finger, sucking lightly on the tip. Her gaze darkened and he knew she had caught his meaning. But when she merely slid the two inches closer until their thighs were touching, it didn't help matters. His arm automatically wrapped around her waist and held her close, making sure she didn't go anywhere.

"Is it really sanitary to eat off a stick?" Anya wondered but Buffy shoved the stick back into her hands.

"Part of the experience," she repeated and Anya shrugged before watching her marshmallow brown.

"It's a little cold for a campfire, but we could still tell ghost stories," Willow suggested and Xander and Buffy smiled at the innocent suggestion.

"Ghost stories were lame when we were kids and they're lame now," Cordelia told them as she sipped at her wine. "Everyone's drinking, right?" she asked and everyone held up glasses of wine, scotch, or whiskey. "Let's play Never Have I Ever."

"Cordy," Xander groaned but Cordelia shook her head determined to have her way. She had never hung out with these people like this in high school and she wanted to get to know them. She knew for a fact that Angel had never done anything fun like this and he would never do it himself. He needed the peer pressure and she was pretty sure Fred and Wes were the same way. When she saw Buffy's eyes twinkling at the suggestion she knew the blond would be on her side and Angel would never turn down a plea from his girlfriend.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Never have I ever fantasized about someone else while having sex," Willow said and everyone but Fred and Angel had to take a drink. Angel glanced next to him and couldn't help but lean over to Buffy.

"You fantasized about someone else?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Riley," she stated and his jaw fell open slightly in shock. "I fantasized _with_ Riley not _about_ Riley," she assured him and he let out a deep breath.

"Right," he nodded and Buffy smiled at his relief.

"Believe me, there was nothing to fantasize about there," she whispered and he grinned before capturing her lips in a short kiss.

"Never have I ever had sex in the 69 position," Cordelia interrupted knowing if she let them keep going this game would be over and everyone would be kicked out of the room far too soon. In response only Angel, Anya, and Xander had to take a drink. This time it was Buffy who turned to Angel in surprise.

"Angel?" she questioned and his expression remained impassive.

"Dru," he said wryly. "She uh, liked to try new things."

"Well, we're trying it later," she informed him and he swallowed thickly. Suddenly the whiskey didn't seem to be enough. His senses needed to be seriously dulled to play this game with her next to him. He suddenly wished they hadn't selected their room for the gathering. Maybe they could tell their friends they had to pack and get on the road…

"Before we leave," she added and he held back a groan as he shifted to hide his growing arousal. How do you concentrate on a damn game when your girlfriend just told you that?

"Never have I ever kissed someone of the same sex," Xander said and this time it was only a blushing Willow and Buffy who had to drink. "Whoa when did this happen?" Xander exclaimed as Cordelia let out a surprised shriek.

"College freshman year," Buffy admitted, her blush deepening. "We were at a party and during truth or dare I had to kiss someone. All the guys were jerks, so…" she shrugged. "Stop staring at me!" she accused Xander and he shook his head raising his hands in surrender.

"I just can't believe I didn't know this about my two best friends," he said and Buffy buried her face in Angel's shoulder, embarrassed by the attention.

"Someone else go," she begged and Angel placed a kiss to the top of her head. She relaxed slightly at the gesture and let out a small sigh. Sometimes she really hated this game.

"Um…Never have I ever had sex with someone with a weird or unusual name," Fred spit out quickly sensing the need for a subject change. This time the entire group had to drink but Doyle smirked at Angel.

"I think you might need to drink twice for Drusilla _and_ Buffy," he told him but Angel merely glared at his friend and pulled Buffy even closer against his side.

"Don't worry. I slept with a guy named Spike," she whispered in his ear and he shook his head.

"Don't remind me," he murmured and she reached down and grabbed his free hand in hers giving it a quick squeeze.

"Um, well I'll go," Buffy mumbled knowing if she didn't initiate her turn it would only come at the most embarrassing time possible. "Never have I ever made a sex tape," she shrugged hoping against all else someone in the group had a dirty little secret that would allow her turn to be over.

When Xander and Anya drank she wasn't all that surprised, but when Angel covertly sipped his whiskey she whirled around to face him.

"Who?" she demanded immediately and he cursed himself for the blush he could feel coloring his cheeks.

"Angel, EW!" Cordelia shrieked but most of the group seemed more morbidly curious than grossed out. But Cordelia shuddered at the thought. It was her _brother_.

"It was Darla," he answered. "I wasn't exactly…in my right mind," he insinuated and Buffy surmised this must have been shortly after Kathy died. "I didn't know she was doing it until after," he explained and Buffy stared at him for a moment before deciding it was the truth.

"And where is this tape now? Because I would like to see it," Anya stated simply. At Xander's groan she shoved his arm lightly and looked curiously at Angel. "Well?"

"I deleted it. Had a huge fight with Darla over it," he sighed and he took another unprompted sip of the whiskey. "So um…never have I ever…asked for naked pictures of my significant other."

"That was one time on a dare!" Doyle exclaimed in frustration even as he downed a swig of his whiskey. "You pinpointed me with that one," he grumbled as he realized he was the only one in the group who had drank. "Well, never have I ever proposed and gotten rejected," he spat out and Angel shot him an angry glare.

"That doesn't count," Angel insisted but now the entire group was staring at him.

"Drink," Doyle demanded and Angel quickly took a sip.

"When did you propose to someone?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, when was this?" Cordelia wondered. Obviously it was before she'd known him, but she'd have thought Kathy would have told her about it. "Well?"

"When I was five! To a girl across the street," Angel said through gritted teeth. "Which is why it shouldn't count."

"Well, it's done now," Doyle shrugged with a grin. "Wes, you're up."

"Let's see," he mused as he swirled the scotch in his glass. "Never have I ever had sex without a condom today."

This time Angel and Buffy both sighed as they were the only ones who had to drink.

"I think they should drink for every time they had sex today," Anya grinned but Doyle shook his head.

"We're not trying to kill them," he said and she pouted. "Everyone needs a turn. Oz, you go."

"Never have I ever woken up to someone giving me oral sex," he stated simply and Doyle, Xander, and Angel all drank. As Buffy and Angel locked eyes, Angel's mind wandered back to the day before when he'd woken up like that. Just after she'd been hypothermic and he had thought he'd been having the most erotic dream… He drained what was left of his whiskey and quickly poured more. And then he planned to wake Buffy up in a very similar manner very soon.

"Is it my turn now?" Anya wondered and when she received nods she rolled her eyes. "I think I've done nearly everything. But never have I ever purposely worn all black," she shrugged and all eyes turned to Angel.

"Chug," Cordelia ordered and he sighed. He was the only one forced to drink, but it was nine against one and he was in no position to argue. Well, maybe he'd be able to enjoy the game this way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Make them leave," Angel murmured into Buffy's hair not even an hour later. He'd pulled her onto his lap and was not shy about where he put his hands. The alcohol had taken its toll on both of them, and it was obvious that all Angel wanted was to be alone with his girlfriend. Now.

"Angel, we can't kick them out," she told him even as his hands gripped her ass and pulled her closer. "It's impolite," she giggled.

"I don't care," he retorted as he brushed her hair aside to place enticing kisses along her neck. "Five minutes from now I'm going to have you naked whether they're here or not," he informed her and by the way he was grinding her body harder onto his lap she didn't doubt him for a second.

"Okay, um I think it's about time Angel and I started getting ready to go," Buffy announced and the group which had already started to separate a bit nodded in understanding.

"We'll see you in a few days Buffy. Or maybe tomorrow since it doesn't look like you'll be leaving tonight," Willow smiled at the couple who was clearly intoxicated.

"Maybe not," Buffy shrugged at her friend who was on her way out. The rest of the group was gathering their things and leaving as well. After a short flurry of activity the room was empty aside from Buffy and Angel.

"I thought they'd never leave," he moaned into her neck.

"You're drunk," she smiled at him but he shook his head.

"Not really," he replied sounding much more sober than he had just moments ago. "I only had three drinks over a couple hours," he pointed out and Buffy's eyes widened in shock.

"You faked it!" she accused and he gave her a lopsided grin.

"I embellished," he told her. "You're a little drunk," he teased tapping her lightly on the nose. When she blushed and leaned closer to him he knew he was right.

"I'm not drunk per se. I'm just in that state of 'yay,'" she replied and he chuckled. She'd had a few glasses of wine. And when she cuddled into him, he decided he liked tipsy Buffy.

"Well, I might have lied about being drunk," he told her. "But I didn't lie about the rest. I do plan to have you naked in five minutes," he promised and she stood up and shook her head.

"Oh no. No way," she said. "We have to get on the road," she insisted but he quickly followed her back to the bedroom where she was about to throw a few last minute items into her suitcase.

"The road's not going anywhere," he replied as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. He pulled her flush against him so she could feel his arousal pressing into her back and she bit back a moan. He nuzzled her neck, taking in her scent and placing soft kisses against the skin. "And I do believe you made a demand during the game," he reminded her and she immediately remembered Cordelia's 'Never Have I Ever.' "You didn't forget about that, did you?"

"No," she whispered as she rested her head back against his chest.

"Good. Because I was _so_ looking forward to it," he husked out as his hands slipped under the hem of her shirt. "Is that still something you're interested in trying?"

"Yes," she breathed out. His hands slid up to cup her breasts through her bra and she whimpered lightly.

"Now, do you think we can postpone our trip just a little bit?" he asked slowly massaging the soft mounds under his hands. "If you really want to get on the road I suppose we could rush this," he whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her skin. Buffy's eyes were shut as she tried to regain control of her body. "After all, whenever I taste you I get so turned on," he groaned pushing his hips ever so slightly into her backside. "I'll come so hard when you wrap those lips around me."

"Angel," she moaned as her hand flew behind her head to sink her fingers into his thick hair. His words had gotten her so hot she was arching into his hands while pushing back against his erection. "Please."

"Please what?" he breathed out before capturing her earlobe in his teeth. "What do you want me to do?"

"Remember when you said you'd have me naked in five minutes?" she replied, her chest rising and falling beneath his hands with each breath.

"Mmhmm," he murmured against her neck.

"Make it five seconds," she demanded and he wasted no time pulling her shirt up over her head. She spun around to face him and grabbed his t-shirt in her hand. Pulling him back towards the bed they collapsed onto the mattress.

"You sure you don't want to leave?" he questioned with a cocky smirk. He loved when he got her so wild and demanding under him and he couldn't help but tease her a little bit. "The traffic will be terrible tomorrow."

"Fuck the traffic," she retorted, grabbing his hair and pulling his lips down to hers. He groaned into the kiss, always loving when she got aggressive. He could feel her fingernails scraping against his scalp and he reached behind her to unclasp her bra. She leaned up slightly and dropped her arms so he could peel it off her, but never once broke the kiss.

As his tongue danced with hers he detected a lingering taste of the wine she'd been drinking earlier and he smiled to himself. He'd never really seen her tipsy before. He pulled back to get a look at her face and he smiled at the sight. The tips of her ears had turned the faintest shade of red and her eyes were glassy from the alcohol and her desire for him. She was beautiful.

"Aaaangel," she whined and he chuckled. Alcohol made her impatient.

"Well you never answered me before about rushing, so I took that to mean you wanted to take our time," he teased and when she glared at him he sat up and pulled his t-shirt off. "Was I wrong? Do you want to rush through this? We could be done in minutes Buffy. Single digits, really."

"Angel," she pouted before recognition dawned on her face. "You're teasing me," she accused and he grinned before dropping his lips to hers for a brief kiss.

"I am," he agreed and she punched him playfully in the chest. "Hey! I won't be of any use to you if you injure me," he told her and he felt his heart swell in his chest as he looked at her. Her face and chest were flushed, her eyes were twinkling, and her mouth was quirked up in a small smile.

"Weeellll, I _could_ always do it myself," she shrugged and he laughed as he shook his head. She was something else.

"You could," Angel played along. "But if I watch you do that I will never let you get out of this bed."

"Promise?" she shot back and instead of replying Angel pressed his lips to hers. Her hands came between them and made quick work of the button on his pants. She pushed his pants and boxers down his hips and he kicked them to the floor knowing she was not in the mood to wait. And frankly, neither was he. Not when he could feel the softness of her breasts pressed up against him.

Suddenly her fingers were wrapped around his cock and his eyes bugged open. Breaking the kiss, he pulled her hand away and held it down on the bed next to her.

"Don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself, there?" he asked but she only gave him a wicked smile in return. Letting out a harsh sigh he shook my head. "You are going to be the death of me."

Feeling his control take another hit the look of sheer pride on her face, he flicked the button open on her jeans and slid the zipper down. He peeled them off her body, pausing only briefly to trace the undersides of her knees. She shivered under his touch and he smiled to himself. Her toes were curled and as he crawled back up her body she was grasping wildly for his shoulders. She yanked his head down until his lips were back on hers and he let out a low groan. He liked impatient Buffy.

"So how should we do this?" she asked finding herself unsure of how to proceed. She'd never done this before and although she was eager, definitely eager, she was going to have to refer to his expertise this time.

"The same way we do everything else," he whispered as he dropped his lips to her neck. "We do what feels right and when you're wet…hot…and aching to feel my mouth on you," he murmured against her skin, sucking lightly on her pulse point. "You'll beg me to lick you until you come on my tongue," he stated huskily and Buffy opened her mouth to retort, but then his lips were all over her breasts and she suddenly didn't care.

"Angel," she moaned and reached between them. Her hand slid down his stomach, but he caught it before it could go any lower.

"Not yet, Baby," he told her. "Just, be patient," he said, but there was a slight pleading tone to his voice that Buffy just couldn't ignore. When she placed her hands on the bed next to her, Angel's lips were back on her chest. He couldn't help it. She was so perfect, he couldn't tear himself away at the moment. The only thing he didn't like about the 69 position was that he couldn't reach her breasts. And he was a big fan of her breasts. So he planned to get his fill now.

"Please," she breathed out, unsure of what she was even asking for. But when he sucked one of her nipples into his mouth she cried out, her hands clawing at his hair desperately. "Yes. Oh god, yes," she gasped rolling her hips against his.

Angel groaned, insanely turned on by her reaction. Her breasts were sensitive, but they weren't normally _that_ sensitive. That was one more thing he'd just learned about slightly drunk Buffy. When she'd had a few drinks she _fucking loved_ having her nipples sucked.

"Don't you dare stop," she hissed, but he only switched to the other breast and she let out a whimper of approval when his mouth made contact with her flesh again. "Make me come, Angel."

His eyes darkened and a growl escaped his throat in response to her demand. He would sure as hell make her come. He redoubled his efforts, tweaking one nipple between his fingers while scraping his teeth over the other. Switching quickly and often, he kept her unsure of what to expect next and she was writhing under him. Her legs had long ago wrapped around his waist, pulling his hips against hers.

He steeled himself against the sensations every time his cock would grind into her sex. It was so tempting to just slip inside her, even for just a second to feel her heat surrounding him. Or to slam into her so hard they broke the goddamn bed. Either scenario worked for him, but he suppressed the urges. They had a goal tonight.

His large palms cupped her breasts, pressing them together and nipping and sucking all around her nipples. When his thumbs brushed the undersides of the over sensitized mounds she let out a shudder then a moan. Bending down, he kissed the flesh where his hands had just been, reveling in the soft cries of pleasure coming out of Buffy. He roughly pinched her nipples before sucking one back into his hot mouth. At the sensation Buffy's entire body was consumed by pleasure. Her orgasm coursed through her causing her legs to tighten around his thighs and her nails to scrape his shoulders.

She fell back against the pillows, panting as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes were cloudy as they met Angel's. Her impatience took over and she pushed on his chest until he rolled onto his back.

"You have a _very_ talented mouth," she said as she leaned down to press her lips to his.

"So you've said," he grinned as he wrapped his arms around her back.

"It bears repeating," she replied and he chuckled as he grabbed her hips.

"Well, if my mouth is so talented, I think we should put it to use, don't you?" he asked and before she could respond he'd lifted her and spun her around until she was straddling his face. He felt a surge of desire rush through him at the view and Buffy saw his cock twitch in anticipation. Not wasting another second, she bent down and took him in her hot mouth.

Angel let out a groan before grasping onto her ass and pulling her closer to his face. His tongue plunged into her depths and he shuddered at the dual sensations running through his body. Her lips on him were so soft but she always knew just how hard to suck him. And she tasted so sweet. Nothing should be this good. Nothing.

She moaned around him, feeling his fingernails digging into the flesh of her hips and thighs. She didn't even have to press harder against him. He was doing it all for her. When he thrust two long fingers inside her she jerked in surprise and her fist clenched tighter around him. She tried to focus on keeping her strokes consistent, but when his fingers pinched her clit and his tongue slid back inside her she was sure she'd lost any rhythm she'd built up.

Angel was desperately concentrating on which laps of his tongue made her gasp the loudest and how hard he had to manipulate her clit to get her to clench her thighs around his head. Because if he thought for one second how incredible it felt to be sliding in and out of her impossibly talented mouth he'd be done in an instant. Then the traffic wouldn't be a problem. They could leave in three minutes.

"Angel," she cried out as she briefly released his pulsing erection. "God Angel, I can't get enough of you," she gasped before sucking hard on the tip of his cock. He groaned harshly at both her words and actions.

His body tensed from head to toe as she dragged her teeth ever so lightly over the length of his shaft. She only did that when she was really enjoying herself. When he heard a soft moan that he knew didn't come from him, he rubbed the small bundle of nerves under his fingers in hard, tight circles. He was aching to feel her come on his tongue. To taste that rush of wetness as she trembled and shook above him.

It was getting harder and harder for him to concentrate on anything with the blood pounding between his legs. God, she was relentless. There wasn't a second when she wasn't blowing his damn mind. He'd done this before, but it was nothing like this. He'd never felt like he just might die if he didn't keep touching her. Right now he felt desperate and he couldn't catch his breath. But instead of taking a moment to gather himself, he ground her pussy down harder onto his face. He could feel her juices spreading all over his mouth, his chin, his nose…and he fucking loved it.

She whimpered around his cock and he knew she loved it just as much. God, she turned him on…

As he worked her harder, she took his lead and fisted him tighter, licking and sucking him mercilessly. When she massaged his balls in time with her strokes he couldn't help but thrust upwards into her mouth. He had three fingers inside her and was pumping them into her hard, but when he felt her starting to clench around them he pulled them out and shoved his tongue deep inside her.

She wanted to scream his name when his fingers found her clit again, but she didn't stop sucking him for a second. He was impossibly hard in her mouth and by the tenseness in his thighs she knew it would be just seconds before he came. And god, if he kept up what he was doing, she was going to be right there with him.

But of course he didn't keep doing what he'd been doing. He made it even better. She could still feel him arching his hips, trying to thrust deeper into her mouth. Suddenly with a groan he came hard into her throat. As she swallowed his seed Buffy felt the pleasure coursing through her own body. A growl escaped from deep in his chest as he felt her clenching around his fingers. He slowly brought her down from her peak, lapping up her juices until she was quivering from his touch.

Slowly they both calmed down, both of them panting hard as Buffy rolled off of him and collapsed on her back next to him. He glanced down the bed at her and he was sure he'd never seen anything more erotic in his life. Her lips were swollen from sucking him off, her nipples were still hard, and her chest was heaving. When her eyes met his she grinned tiredly and he couldn't help but let a matching smile take over his face. He reached out and grabbed her hand, helping her crawl back up to the pillows. She laid down next to him, curling into his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her back and held her close to him.

"That was amazing," she breathed out and he chuckled lightly at her excitement. He looked down at her to see her eyes shining with happiness and he leaned down to place a soft kiss on her lips.

"It was," he agreed. "Absolutely incredible," he said brushing her hair behind her ear.

"We are going to have to add that to our repertoire," she smiled and he buried his face in her hair.

"No complaints here, baby," he laughed feeling happier and lighter than he had in years.

He briefly wondered if this was what heaven was like. Then he wondered how many times that thought had crossed his mind when he had Buffy in his arms. And he realized he'd found his own heaven on earth.

**Again, please vote in the POLL and leave a REVIEW to let me know your thoughts.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey guys. Thanks for the responses to last chapter. Guess what? I started ANOTHER story! It's human, but not developed enough to consider posting any time soon. According to the poll the human private investigator story is most likely going to be posted next. I'm reworking it a bit, but hopefully by the time this is done I'll have a few solid chapters of that to post.  
**

**Anyways, let me know what you like in this chapter. I'd love to hear from you!  
**

"Fuck," Angel murmured as he pressed the brake, slowing to a near stop on the highway. "Where are all these people going?"

"You said the traffic in the morning would be bad," Buffy pointed out and he shot her a playful glare. "Still think staying last night was worth it?"

Briefly his mind wandered back to all they had done last night. After they'd collapsed together in bed after their little experiment, he'd learned that when Buffy had a few drinks she also liked to tease him. Tease him until he was near tears.

"Yeah. It was worth it," he relented and Buffy smirked knowing exactly what he was remembering.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Buffy," Angel called and she slowly stirred awake. She sat up in the passenger seat and looked around. They'd been driving for over three hours and she had been asleep through most of it. "We're almost there. I thought you might want to wake up."

She nodded and looked around their surroundings. They were in a more residential area, but she was surprised to see the condition of some of the homes. They had sagging porches and the paint was peeling. Many of them were clearly abandoned and it surprised her that this was near where Angel grew up. The way he'd described it, his neighborhood was fairly upscale.

"How far are we?" she wondered out loud.

"A little over a mile. I have to say, it did not look like this when I was a kid," he muttered slowing down as he tried to avoid the pot holes in the road. "It used to be a nice neighborhood."

Suddenly a beat up, rusty car pulled up next to them and cut them off on the narrow street. Slamming on the brakes, Angel was forced to pull over and stop. When six teenage boys jumped out of the car, dressed in ratty jeans and stained tank tops, Angel made sure the doors were locked. He glanced over at Buffy and saw that she was uneasy. The boys, all of whom had tattoos on their arms, were closing in on the car. Angel threw it in reverse, but two kids were directly behind the car too. He was boxed in.

"Buffy, do not get out of the car," he ordered as he saw one of the kids draw out a knife.

"Angel," she began but he shook his head signaling her to be quiet.

"Put this on," he told her as he grabbed one of his sweatshirts out of the backseat.

"Why?" she asked but he didn't have time to explain that if these kids got a look at her in that little tank top that displayed plenty of cleavage and more than enough of her stomach, they were going to be in for a hell of a fight.

"Just do it," he spat out feeling his heart rate speed up. He let out a small sigh of relief when he saw her slip the sweatshirt on and as she became more aware of their surroundings she began to see what was going on.

"Angel, are we getting carjacked?" she asked nervously and he spared a glance in her direction. She looked scared, and he couldn't blame her. But he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"Not if I can help it. Just stay in the car," he replied as he opened his door and climbed out. Locking it behind him he slammed it shut, not wanting these guys anywhere near Buffy. They were kids, but they were all bigger than her. And they were street kids. They'd hurt her without breaking a sweat.

The teenagers were brandishing knives, but Angel didn't let that deter him. He could fight, and he was bigger than all of these kids.

"Get the hell away from my car," Angel growled knowing it would prompt them to attack. Sure enough two of the kids lunged towards him. With one punch from Angel one went down and the other landed one kick to Angel's shin but Angel was bigger and faster. He knocked the kid's knife loose and sent him crashing to the ground.

When the biggest attacker came towards Angel, he wasn't able to dislodge his knife, and Angel was knocked backwards into his car. Buffy grabbed her purse and climbed into the backseat. She stuffed it into her suitcase, pulled the strap of that bag over her shoulder, and pulled Angel's suitcase onto her lap. If they had to make a quick getaway she didn't want to lose all their stuff. She was relieved they'd packed their skis in the trunk and had to pack their bags up here. If they lost their skis, well, she wasn't all that fond of skiing after this weekend anyways.

She looked out to see four of the six kids attacking Angel, but he was holding his own. She could feel her heart racing as she watched them swiping their knives at him, but he dodged their attacks. When the side of a blade caught the back of his arm he shoved the kid down hard, kicking him in the ribs to make sure he stayed down.

Neither Buffy nor Angel noticed the teenager in the bandana, probably the leader of the gang, heading to the trunk of the car they'd arrived in. He pulled out a tire iron and headed to the passenger side of Angel's car. Buffy glanced over when she saw him shatter the window with the tire iron, reach in, and unlock the doors. Angel heard the glass break, but he was currently holding off four attackers and three knives so he couldn't get away.

When the leader of the gang opened the rear passenger door he grabbed Buffy. She clutched the bags she had, feeling as if they were her only protection at the moment. He pulled her roughly out onto the sidewalk and she cried out as he pushed a gun into her temple.

"HEY!" the leader yelled and the fighting stopped. Angel turned, and his heart stopped as he saw a gun pressed to Buffy's head. She was terrified and he couldn't do a thing to help her.

"Let her go," Angel demanded, unaware that it sounded more like a snarl than a plea.

"Why should I? A nice piece like her?" he asked, yanking her harder against his body.

"If you touch her I will kill you," Angel warned, taking a step closer to Buffy. Eight grimy hands reached out and grabbed him, but he resisted, shoving and elbowing his way through until the leader pushed the gun further against Buffy's temple. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to tilt her head away, but it was useless.

"What do you want?" Angel asked, his voice now quiet as he tried to remain calm.

"That nice ass car you got, man," one of the kids holding him smirked.

"Take it," Angel said immediately. One of the kids holding him let go and leaned into the car. Pulling the keys out of the ignition the kid grabbed the key to the car and tossed the rest on the ground in front of Buffy. They didn't need those.

"And your wallet," another kid yelled yanking it out of Angel's back pocket. During all of this, Angel's eyes never left Buffy. God, if anything happened to her…

"Just take the cash. Everything else is useless," the leader instructed and the kid with the wallet looked at him in surprise.

"A guy like this has tons of cards! And his phone!"

"He'll just cancel it all as soon as we leave. We gotta get the hell out of here," the leader reminded them. The kid pulled out the cash and threw the wallet towards Buffy where the keys were. "Let's go."

One guy got in each car and started it, while three shoved Angel as far out of the way as possible. The one holding Buffy shoved her in the opposite direction as Angel. He pushed her so hard she tumbled onto the ground, scraping her knees and hands. They looked up as all six kids sped away in the two cars.

As they drove off at near 70 miles an hour Angel got up and scrambled over to Buffy.

"Buffy, Baby are you alright?" he asked as she rolled over and set the bags down next to her.

"Yeah," she said shakily as she looked at her hands. There were scrapes and bits of dirt and pavement in the cuts. She glanced down and her knees were no better. "I wish he could have shoved me down in the grass."

"Jesus Buffy," Angel whispered as he sat next to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Are you okay?" she asked, remembering when she'd seen the knife connect with his arm. She gingerly reached out and took his arm in her hand. The cut was no more than a graze and she sighed.

"I'm fine," he assured her. He didn't tell her he'd been in fights like that dozens of times. If it weren't for her he'd have fought until all six of them couldn't walk, gun or not. But he couldn't risk Buffy. And he hadn't liked the way those guys were looking at her. He didn't really think they'd shoot, but they might do something else and he couldn't let that happen.

"Can I take this off now?" Buffy asked softly as she gestured to his sweatshirt.

"Sure Baby," he told her as he helped her pull it over his head.

"Thank you for making me put it on," she said and he nodded, both of them knowing it may have been worse if those guys had gotten ahold of a scantily clad Buffy. "I'm sorry about your car."

"I don't care about the car," he told her pulling her against his chest. He placed a kiss on the top of her head and let out a sigh. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"You love that car," she smiled up at him and his mouth turned up in half a smile.

"I do," he admitted with a shrug. "But it's just a car."

"Well," she sighed. "You should call the police."

"That can wait. I want to get you to the house and cleaned up," he said but she shook her head.

"No. Call them now. The whole scene of the crime and stuff," she pointed out. "I'm fine. It's just scrapes. I'll be no worse in an hour. Besides, how do you expect to get me to the house? I can't exactly walk there on my ankle," she said and as he opened his mouth to reply she cut him off. "And you can't carry me because you'd have to carry the bags."

"Buffy," he sighed knowing she had a point. She glared at him and he glowered as he called 911. He told them where they were and what had happened and when offered an ambulance, one look at Buffy's terrified face told him there was no way in hell he was getting her inside a hospital. He said no, they just needed the police and were assured help would be on the way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was just over an hour later when the police were done taking statements from Buffy and Angel. They were told they likely wouldn't be getting the car back because it was probably already in a chop shop somewhere. When Angel asked when the crime rate had skyrocketed around here the officer had shrugged helplessly. Homes had been abandoned and it made it a perfect area for gangs to commit crime even in broad daylight.

They were given a lift to Angel's mom's house in a squad car and the police said they'd be in touch if there was any more information. Buffy carefully walked up the steps at Angel's mother's house, relieved to see it was in much better condition than others in the area. Clearly she still took care of it.

Buffy rang the doorbell and was surprised to see a man, just a little older than Angel answer the door.

"Hi!" he greeted cheerfully. "You must be Angel and Buffy. Come in. I'm Lorne. I've been taking good care of your mom," he told them as he ushered them into the house. "Angel, your old bedroom is made up into a cozy love nest for you two."

"Lorne," Victoria scolded from the living room and everyone walked towards her voice. "I told you not to embarrass my son. Hi Angel," she grinned as she saw Angel and Buffy standing in the doorway to the living room. "Come here. You too Buffy," she said. They walked over to the couch where she was resting with her broken leg up on the coffee table in front of her. Carefully they hugged her, and Angel gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Mom, how are you?" he asked, the concern evident in his voice.

"I'm healing just fine," she assured him with a smile. She couldn't believe how good it was to see her son back in his home. "Buffy dear, how have you been? My goodness, what happened?" she asked when she noticed Buffy's cuts, bruises, and still swollen ankle. "Sit down!"

"Skiing accident," Buffy pointed to her ankle as she gratefully sat next to Victoria. "And um…" she trailed off wondering what Angel wanted to tell his mom about the carjacking.

"We ran into some trouble on the way here, mom," Angel began gently, appreciating that Buffy was allowing him to tell her. When his mom looked up at him curiously he sighed. "We uh, we got carjacked."

"Carjacked?" she gasped and Lorne clucked his tongue.

"I wondered why two lovelies like yourselves were showing up in a police car," he mused as he sank into a chair nearby.

"Yeah," Angel sighed as he sat on the coffee table facing his mom and Buffy. "Mom, this neighborhood isn't safe anymore," he told her and she shook her head.

"I've lived almost my whole life here Angel," she replied but his face remained firm.

"Then you've seen how much it's changed. How bad it is now. We got carjacked in broad daylight," Angel pointed out and she sighed.

"We'll talk about this later," his mother relented. "Right now you need to take Buffy and get her cleaned up," she told him and he nodded knowing she was right. He had to get those scrapes cleaned and bandaged.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why do I feel like you two asking to look through this together will only end badly?" Angel asked with a raised eyebrow as he handed his mother the thick photo album. She smiled sweetly at him, and when he looked at Buffy she was giving him a very similar smile.

"Oh Angel, you shouldn't worry so much," his mother scolded as she opened the album to the first page and held it for her and Buffy to see. "You'll get wrinkles."

"And since we both know I'm only with you for your good looks you should really cut down on the worrying," Buffy winked as she adjusted the pillow her ankle was propped up on. "Now since I love you so, so much, would you mind bringing me a glass of water?" she asked and Angel gave a small smile before heading to the kitchen.

"This is Angel around 5 months," her mother began and Buffy was quickly enthralled with baby pictures of an adorable Angel.

Grown up Angel came back in around the time they reached pictures from when Kathy was born. He handed Buffy her water and went to sit down, but his mom reached for his arm.

"Angel, would you please go grab me a blanket from the hall closet?" she asked and when he opened his mouth to ask why she wasn't using the one folded on the couch behind her she shook her head. "That one's scratchy."

"Right," Angel nodded as he headed towards the hall closet.

"Do you think he has any idea what he's in for with the two of us?" his mother asked Buffy who giggled at the little conspiracy they'd cooked up. They both knew Angel would wait on them hand and foot without uttering one complaint. And the two women had decided to bond a little bit over Angel's suffering.

"Definitely not," she agreed when she suddenly saw a picture of a much younger Angel holding a tiny baby. "Is that Kathy?" she asked and Victoria nodded.

"Yeah. Just a few days after she got home from the hospital," she said with a hint of nostalgia in her voice. "From the moment Angel saw her he was in love. He vowed to protect her and never let anything bad happen to her."

Buffy was saved from having to respond when Angel returned with the blanket. His mom smiled and took the blanket, setting it on the arm of the couch and purposely not using it. She hid her smile at his confused expression and Buffy glanced up at him.

"Could you bring me my camera? I have some pictures I'd like to show your mom," she said and Angel gave her a brief smile before heading off to get her camera.

"How long do you think it will be until he catches on?" his mom asked, watching him search through suitcases out of the corner of her eye.

"Honey, I think it might already be up in your room," Buffy smiled sweetly and he merely nodded before jogging up the stairs. "And while you're there could you look for a sweatshirt?" she called and she had to fight to hold back her laughter. She turned back to Victoria and grinned. "I think it could be a while," Buffy laughed as Angel's mom showed Buffy a family portrait taken around Angel's tenth birthday. She couldn't believe how much Angel looked like his father. Kathy had looked more like their mom, but Angel was the spitting image of his dad.

"They were close," Victoria said softly as she saw Buffy looking at the picture of her late husband. "They played ball together out there," she gestured to her back yard as she smiled faintly at the memory. "And they would interrogate all of Kathy's dates and if the poor boy made it out the door then Angel and Patrick would both wait up until Kathy got home. I can't tell you how many dates of his own Angel canceled to make sure Kathy's dates treated her well."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Buffy smiled at the thought of a younger Angel sitting, brooding, and waiting for his sister to return home.

"I think that was why it was so hard for Angel when his father got sick," Victoria said and Buffy wanted to hear every detail because she knew Angel would never talk about it. "Angel had never been the strong, man of the family. His father always was and Angel put too much responsibility on himself…"

"He always does," Buffy interjected and Victoria chuckled as she glanced at the young girl who she was already beginning to see as a daughter.

"He does," she agreed. "But then when we found out about…the affair…" she trailed off shaking her head and Buffy felt a twinge of guilt for making her talk about this. But she needed to hear it and after seeing how much it upset Angel the one time he had told her about it, she would never bring it up with him again. "It shattered Angel's image of his father. And all anyone had ever told Angel was how much he was like his father, but then he wasn't sure if he wanted to be that man anymore."

"That's our Angel. Always brooding and overthinking," Buffy smiled trying to lighten the mood. When his mom burst into laughter she was relieved to see she had succeeded.

From the stairs Angel looked at the sight before him. The two most important women in his life were sitting together in his childhood home, laughing like good friends. He felt a twinge of jealousy at Buffy's easy relationship with his mother, but then he realized that without Buffy he wouldn't even be speaking to his mother. When Buffy saw him she grinned and beckoned him over.

"What are you two laughing about?" he asked as he handed her the camera and a sweatshirt and sat down next to her. His arm draped over the back of the couch, and his mom hid a smile at the interaction between the two of them.

"You," Buffy shot back and he scoffed, playfully hurt.

"My own mother and my girlfriend?" he exclaimed. "You two are supposed to love me," he whined turning to Buffy who jokingly shoved him away.

"We do. For some reason neither of us can understand, we do," she assured him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We'll have to order in for dinner. I didn't have Lorne make anything, and I'm useless in my condition," Victoria said in slight annoyance as she glanced at the clock to see it was already 6pm.

"I'll make something," Angel offered and his mom looked up in surprise. She had no idea he could cook.

"No pasta," Buffy said. "You're going to try to teach me how to make that again when we get home, remember?"

"I remember. And your kitchen is terrified, trust me," he shot back before standing up. "I'll go see what's in the kitchen," he said walking away and Victoria turned to Buffy.

"He cooks?" she asked and Buffy looked at her confused.

"Yeah. All the time," she said and then she realized that Angel must have learned to cook after he moved away from his mother. She supposed that made sense. But the guilty look on Victoria's face was not something Buffy wanted to see again.

"I missed too much of his life already," she sighed regretfully. "It was my own fault. I pushed him away. I-"

"Mrs. O'Connor, you can't-"

"Buffy, please call me Victoria," she asked for the third or fourth time that day. "You've already done so much for Angel and I. You knocked some sense into me and I have a feeling you played a part in convincing him to visit me in the hospital in the first place," she said and she took Buffy's silence as confirmation. "That boy is stubborn, but he comes by it naturally," she sighed as she leaned back against the couch. "His father and I were the two most stubborn creatures on the planet until he came along."

"He loves you. And of course he's forgiven you. He's practically convinced himself he's responsible for all the pain and strife in the world so everyone else's mistakes pale in comparison," Buffy joked and Victoria laughed loudly.

"Oh you know him too well," she said and Buffy merely smiled.

"He's just glad you're back in his life," Buffy told her truthfully and Victoria gave her a grateful smile.

"Well, we both have you to thank for that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How do you guys feel about pork-Buffy, what the hell are you doing?" he glared at her as he realized she was standing up.

"Well I _was_ going to the bathroom," she replied but his expression remained the same.

"By yourself?" he accused and she rolled her eyes.

"Last time I checked it was a solitary activity," she quipped and walked out of the room before he could argue. Victoria heard him grumbling under his breath and could see he was tempted to walk her down the hall, but he refrained.

"Are pork chops okay?" he asked his mom realizing he had no idea what she liked to eat anymore.

"Come here Angel," she spoke and he scratched the back of his head.

"I can make something else. I just know Buffy likes them, and-" he was cut off by a stern glare from his mother and she gestured for him to sit next to her on the couch. When he did she took a deep breath and turned to him.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry," she said, her voice shaky, but she cut Angel off before he could rush to tell her it was all his fault. "I can't even tell you how much I regret missing so much time with my own son. A time when I know you needed me."

"Mom," he began but he didn't know what to say. She shook her head wanting to get her piece out anyways so he fell silent.

"I love you. With all my heart, Angel. In a way you will only understand when you have your own children. I loved Kathy the same way and I reacted horribly when we lost her," she whispered as she dabbed a tear from the corner of her eye. "I missed your father, I missed her, and I pushed you away because of it."

He felt a lump in his throat but he swallowed it, not wanting to let the tears out. He wanted to be strong for his mom. She needed him right now.

"And Angel, you are so much like your father," she said and when he averted his gaze down to his hands she put her hand on his shoulder. "I know you have mixed feeling about that now, but he was more than just the affair. He was a good man, a good father, and he loved you so, so much," her voice broke but she held her emotions in check. "You took the good parts of your father and combined them with the good parts of yourself. I couldn't be more proud of the man you've become."

"Mom," he choked out, feeling it harder and harder to force away his emotions. She was saying all the things he'd needed to hear and more.

"You're the best man…the best person I have ever known. And I love you Angel," she said now fully crying as he turned to face her.

"Mom, don't cry," he whispered as he pulled her into a gentle hug, careful about her still injured ribs. "I love you too," he said as he shut his eyes, never so happy to receive a hug from his mom in his life. "I made plenty of mistakes when-"

"No," she shook her head cutting him off. "You aren't taking credit for me kicking my own son out of my life. You reached out to me plenty of times. It was my fault," she insisted and she slapped her hand over his mouth to prevent him from protesting again. "No," she wagged her finger in front of his face. "I love you too much to let you carry around guilt for something you weren't responsible for. And I know you made a few mistakes when your father was sick," she shrugged. "But you were young and we all dealt with it a different way. And you came out of it a better man for it," she pointed out and Angel considered for the first time that she may be right.

"Thanks mom," he said softly and she placed one hand on his cheek and their eyes met before she nodded.

"So Angel," they heard Buffy's voice and they both turned to the doorway. "You were saying something about pork chops?" she raised an eyebrow and he grinned realizing he had this tiny little blond to thank for all the good things in his life. "I could go for some pork chops."

"Anything you want, Baby. Anything."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night Buffy and Angel were curled around each other in Angel's childhood bed and Buffy's teasing about his teenage fantasies had been relentless. Finally when he'd threatened to tape her mouth shut she'd backed off, but with her head on his chest and her leg between his he couldn't help but think of how similar this really was to his old fantasies. A beautiful girl in his bed…

But his mom was right down the hall and he knew from experience that this bed could be noisy. So instead of letting his mind wander he decided it was time for a distraction.

"There was something I wanted to talk to you about," Angel said quietly and Buffy tilted her head up until she could see his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked and he shook his head.

"Nothing's wrong. I don't think," he said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "But I was thinking, my mom and I have enough problems as it is. I don't want to lie to her about us so I think we should tell her the truth about how we met." When Buffy stayed quiet for a moment he worried if she would be upset but then she nodded and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whatever you want, Angel," she assured him and he kissed her softly on the lips.

"You're the best," he murmured as he buried his face in her hair. "And while we're at it, I want my mom to move into my apartment," he said and Buffy merely laughed.

"I wondered how long it would take you to move her out of this neighborhood."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So you two set up a fake engagement?" Victoria asked incredulously and Angel scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "And you did this so Cordelia and Doyle could still go skiing?"

"Well, when you say it like that…" Angel trailed off, losing all of his bravado under his mother's stare. Of course she wouldn't approve. He didn't understand why last night he had thought this would be a good idea.

"I also needed someone to take home for Christmas," Buffy chimed in but by the look Angel sent her she realized she wasn't helping.

"You lied to your own mother," she stated rather than asked and Buffy chose to stay silent rather than confirm the statement. "So what the hell are you two doing still keeping up with this charade?" she asked bitterly and that was when Angel realized she thought they were still faking a relationship.

"We're not," he rushed to tell her. "We're together now. For real," he added as he stepped closer to Buffy. "I love her. We just haven't known each other as long as her mom thinks," he said sheepishly and he stared down at the floor for a moment before reminding himself he was a grown man and he could at least look his mother in the eye while he told her this.

"You started a fake relationship, but ended up in a real one? A real and serious one?" she asked and Buffy reached over and grabbed Angel's hand as they nodded.

"Okay," she shrugged with a resigned sigh and Angel looked at her in surprise.

"That's it?" he asked and she shook her head.

"Who am I to judge? I slept with your father for two months before we dated."

"MOM!" Angel exclaimed, horrified by her revelation and he cringed before hurrying out of the room.

"Did you really?" Buffy asked in amusement but Victoria shook her head.

"No. But he gets so uncomfortable I just can't pass up an opportunity like that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX


End file.
